Also published in LOS ANGELES, ORANGE COUNTY/INLAND EMPIRE, NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY

Political dynasties lose Manila, Pasig, San Juan
POLITICAL clans suffered heavy
defeats in Metro Manila, with new
leaders set to take office in the cities
of Manila, San Juan and Pasig, even
as other dynasties continued to hold
on to their bailiwicks.
Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso was proclaimed the new mayor
of Manila, soundly defeating the
incumbent, Joseph Estrada, by garnering 357,925 votes to the latter’s
210,605.
“It is a humbling experience,” said
Moreno, who served as Estrada’s
vice mayor from 2013 to 2016, as he
called for reconciliation.
Domagoso’s running mate, reelectionist Vice Mayor Maria Sheilah “Honey” Lacuna-Pangan, also
secured a second term.
Estrada, who served as San Juan
Newly elected Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto (center), Manila Mayor Francisco Domagoso aka ‘Isko Moreno’ and Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna (left) and Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte
and her vice mayor, Gian Sotto.
ManilaTimes.net photos mayor for nearly two decades be-

FOREIGN
Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr.
on Tuesday, May 14,
said President Rodrigo
Duterte and his drug war
won as administrationbacked senatorial candidates led the race in the
2019 election polls.
“The Senatorial elections were not a referendum in favor of Charter
Change either, the death
penalty, and jailing minors. The elections were
Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary
a referendum on Duterte
Teodoro Locsin Jr. Inquirer.net photo
and his war on drugs. He
& the war just won,” he posted on Twitter.
He also told the public to “shut up” about the subject
already as the drug war “goes on.”
At least eight candidates endorsed by the president
are leading the race for 12 Senate seats in the latest update of partial and unofficial tally of votes from

A NEW report released by Nielsen on
Thursday, May 9 said that Asian Americans
spent $1 trillion last year — a testament to
the demographic’s growing spending power
and influence in mainstream U.S. culture.
Linking the correlation between the growing population number and high spending,
the report — titled “Informed Influencers
and Powerful Purchasers: The Asian American Consumer Journey” — added that at a
current population of 22.6 million, spending
power among Asian Americans is expected President Rodrigo Duterte’s children: Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, Sara “Inday”

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‘Duterte and the war
just won’ - Locsin

FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

PRESIDENT Donald Trump on Monday, May
13 signed an executive order to advance the
“economic empowerment” of Asian Americans
and Pacific Islanders (AAPI).
The order, which comes during Asian Pacific
American Heritage Month, is intended “to empower Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to
improve the quality of their lives, raise the standard of living of their families and communities,
and more fully participate in our economy,” the
White House announced.

fore parlaying his popularity to the
presidency in 1998, also saw his
granddaughter lose in his family’s
bailiwick.
Ejercitos lose San Juan
Francis Zamora ended the 50-year
supremacy of the Ejercitos — Estrada’s real surname — by winning the
mayorship with 35,060 votes compared to Janella Ejercito’s 24,913.
Janella is the daughter of former
senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, who
is also currently out of the “Magic
12” list of potential Senate winners.
For the vice mayoral race in San
Juan City, Zamora’s running mate
Warren Villa got 28,882 votes while
Janella’s running mate Boy Celles
got 24,465.
Zamora, a former San Juan vice
mayor, ran for the top spot in 2016

Duterte-Carpio and Paolo “Pulong” Duterte.

ROMERO, EDITH REGALADO
Philstar.com

DAVAO CITY — Despite the decisive victory of his children in the elections, President
Duterte said it is better for them to get out of
politics.
“The earlier... the better,” Duterte told reporters after voting at the Daniel Aguinaldo
National High School on Monday, May 13.
On the possibility that his daughter Davao
City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio would take
his place when he steps down, the President
Philstar.com photos warned her against running for president.

“The presidency will not educate you. It will
just destroy you,” Duterte said.
The president’s children won by a landslide
in the elections here.
Carpio succeeded in her reelection bid as
she got 565,284 votes. Her opponent Jun Marcellones garnered only 4,165 votes.
The tally is from 97.01 percent or 1,105 of
the 1,139 clustered precincts.
Carpio’s runningmate and brother Sebastian,

MANILA — Otso Diretso senatorial candidate Bam Aquino
was knocked out of the “winning
circle” after more than 24 hours
of barging into the Magic 12, the
Commission on Elections (Comelec) official count showed late
Wednesday night, May 15.
According to the latest partial

and official count of Comelec,
Aquino slid from 12th place to
13th place on the second day
of canvassing of votes that adjourned at 11:59 p.m.
Following Aquino’s fall, administration-backed senatorial bets
dominated the Senate race with

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by AJPRESS
SOUTH Bend, Indiana Mayor
Pete Buttigieg was the latest
Democratic presidential contender to meet with Las Vegas’ Asian
American and Pacific Islander
(AAPI) community.
Buttigieg on Saturday, May 11
joined the AAPI Democratic Caucus’ (AAPIDC) community dinner,
which was attended by over 150
community members.

Eleven-year-old student Cevan
Louie introduced the mayor before his remarks, while Cristina
Drost, who lived in South Bend
before Las Vegas, presented Buttigieg with a lei.
“Whenever I join my AAPI
friends...I know there will be a
sense of welcome that is such a
deep American value and that is
a little bit fragile in our country
right now so it is a great opportunity to model what America might

&$//12:ȐȐ

u PAGE 2

South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg made a campaign stop in Las Vegas on Saturday,
May 11.
AJPress photo by Robert Macabagdal

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may 16-22, 2019 • LaS VEGaS aSIaN JOURNaL

From The FronT Page

Aquino falls to 13th spot in latest...

PAGE 1
a total of nine out of 12, coming
from the Partido Demokratiko
Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDPLaban) and Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP).
PDP-Laban is chaired by President Rodrigo Duterte himself,
while HNP is the regional party
formed by presidential daughter
Sara Duterte-Carpio. PDP-Laban

is the political party of the administration.
HNP-endorsed candidate Sen.
Cynthia Villar and independent
candidate Sen. Grace Poe remained the top contenders in the
senatorial race.
The Comelec, sitting as the
National Board of Canvassers
(NBOC), has so far canvassed 89
certificates of canvass (COCs) out

PAGE 1
Belmontes regain QC mayorIncumbent Mayor Mar-Len
but was defeated by Guia Gomez, ship
Abigail “Abby” Binay, prevailed
with whom Estrada has a son, reIn Quezon City, meanwhile, over her brother, former mayor
electionist senator Joseph Victor Vice Mayor Josefina “Joy” Bel- Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay
“JV” Ejercito, who is also in dan- monte now holds the top local Jr., by winning 179,522 votes
ger of losing in the Senate race. government post previously held compared to the latter’s 98,653.
Eusebio ousted in Pasig
by her father, Rep. Fernando FeThe race was particulary bitter,
In Pasig City, Victor “Vico” liciano “Sonny” Belmonte.
with most of the Binay siblings
Sotto, the son of television perShe won 469,480 votes, com- supporting Junjun.
sonalities Vic Sotto and Coney fortably ahead of rival Jose “BingTheir father, former vice presiReyes, ousted incumbent Bobby bong” Crisologo’s 366,215.
dent Jejomar Binay, lost his bid
Eusebio with 206,226 votes to
She will succeed Herbert Bau- for First District representative,
the latter’s 119,726.
tista, who before serving as may- losing to former acting Makati
For the vice mayoral race, lone or was her father’s vice mayor.
mayor Romulo “Kid” Pena, while
candidate Iyo Caruncho BernarBelmonte’s running mate, Abby’s husband, Luis Jose Ando got 266,620 votes.
councilor Gian Sotto, was also gel Campos Jr., was reelected as
Sotto’s running-mate Roman proclaimed new vice mayor after Second District representative.
Romulo managed to retake his garnering 382,393 votes ahead
Abby’s running mate, reelecseat as the representative of of the 343,470 votes received by tionist Vice Mayor Monique
Pasig City’s lone district with lawyer Joseph Peter Sison.
Lagdameo, also won by best221,779 votes.
Abby defeats Junjun
ing Junjun’s partner, outgoing
Eusebio’s supporters are conIn Makati, the Binays retained First District Rep. Monsour del
testing the proclamation and as their hold on the city, but at the Rosario. (Catherine Modesto,
PAGE 1
of press time, were gathered in cost of a division within the fam- Dempsey Reyes, Glee Jalea and
ily.
Neil Servallos/ManilaTimes.net)
the Parish Pastoral Council for front of the Pasig City Hall.
Responsible Voting (PPCRV)
— among them are reelectionist senator Cynthia Villar, former presidential aide Bong Go,
PAGE 1
Taguig Rep. Pia Cayetano, former Philippine National Police who ran unopposed,
(PNP) chief Bato dela Rosa, re- got 543,317 votes.
Paolo, a former
electionist senator Sonny Angavice
mayor, got a tora, former Ilocos Norte governor
Imee Marcos, former presiden- tal of 195,074 votes
tial adviser for political affairs as representative of
Francis Tolentino, and reelec- the first district of
tionist senator Aquilino “Koko” this city.
Carpio’s partyPimentel III.
mates
in Hugpong
The opposition senatorial candidates, however, believed that sa Tawong Lungsod,
the midterm elections result is a Vince Garcia and
“referendum on the Duterte ad- Isidro Ungab, ran
unopposed as secministration.”
Duterte endeavored to achieve ond and third district
stronger leverage in the tradition- representatives, re- President Rodrigo Duterte casts his vote for the midterm elections at his voting precinct at the Daniel R.
Aguinaldo National High School in Davao City on Monday, May 13.
Malacañang photo by Robinson Niñal
ally more independent Senate so spectively. n

‘Duterte and
the war just...

Duterte to children: Get out...

as to bolster his legislative agenda
— this includes propositions such
as the return of the death penalty, lowering the age for criminal
liability below the current 15, and
revising Philippines’ 1987 Constitution to allow a shift towards
federalism.
Opposition senators managed
to block various proposed bills
last year that they thought would
undermine civil liberties.
To veto Duterte’s emerging
majority in the upper chamber,
the remaining opposition senators whose seats are not up for
election need get backing from
leading independent aspirants
since at least seven senators are
needed to block any proposal by
Duterte’s camp to revise the Constitution. n

Asian Americans spent $1 trillion last year...
PAGE 1
to reach $1.3 trillion by 2023.
It added that in the last decade
alone, the Asian American population has grown by seven million
people — the most of any ethnic
group in the nation. Whereas the
total U.S. population saw an 8%
percent growth, Asian Americans saw an uptick of 45% for
the same time period.
The report said that in addition
to growing as a demographic,
Asian American households are
also 17% bigger than the average U.S. household.
“In fact, Asian American
households boast the highest
incomes of any racial or ethnic
group in the U.S. — incomes that
have boosted the buying power
of Asian Americans by 68%

since 2010,” said the report.
But at the core of what makes
the growing ethnic group so influential is its ability to connect,
said the report, which looked at
the group’s internet usage and
digital consumption trends.
Asian Americans as a group
have a higher percentage connected to the internet with 99%
having internet connectivity
compared to the U.S. average
of 93%. Percentages are also
higher when it comes to ownership of devices: 97% of Asian
Americans own a smartphone
compared to 91% of the total population, and 89% own a
computer compared to 76% of
the total population.
“Given this demographic’s
connected lifestyles, it should

come as no surprise that Asian
Americans’ usage of internetconnected devices outpaces the
average U.S. consumer,” the report said.
Looking at media consumption
practices, the report found that
not only are Asian Americans
spending the most time watching television at almost 23 hours
a week, they’re also at the forefront of the shift from traditional
cable and over-the-air viewing to
“broadband only” viewing and
consumption through subscription video on demand services
like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon
Prime.
“These platforms are extremely popular with Asian American
households, with 81% subscribPAGE 3

Presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg joins AAPI...
PAGE 1
look like,” Buttigieg said.
The South Bend mayor shared
his campaign message of “freedom, security and democracy,”
which he said has been resonating with the different groups he’s
been meeting across the country.
“For too long, we’ve allowed
our politics to be played out in
a way that takes away our humanity, especially this president
who just paints entire classes or
groups of Americans with a broad
brush so we don’t see each other
as human beings,” he said.
After his speech, he took questions from the audience on topics
from immigration backlogs to social security to his understanding
of the AAPI community.
“Because many of the patterns
of immigration in the AAPI community are more recent than the
patterns of immigration for other
parts of the American fabric, we
need to make sure that we’re
dealing the backlogs that make
it difficult for families who are either traveling to the U.S. or to be
able to have a pathway to citizenship that helps our country grow.
It’s part of a bigger story on comprehension immigration reform,”
he responded.
He later added calling for protects for DREAMers and border
security that is “part of a plan”
and “part of this bipartisan package.”
“As president, I am determined
to build that consensus back up.
Most Americans will be on board
with it. We just need to get most

Pete Buttigieg, a Democratic contender for the 2020 presidential election, answered questions
from the audience.
AJPress photos by Robert Macabagdal

members of Congress to have the
same level of common sense that
is present in most Americans,” he
said.
He was also asked about whether U.S. veterans should be buried
free of charge.
“When someone raises their
right hand and takes an oath to
serve in the military, I believe that
while it is certainly a gift, it is also
a mutual promise, of promises
being made between the United
States and the person who serves
the United States,” he said, adding, “The fellowship among people who have served extends even
to the dead and the way we honor
them reflects very much on us.”
Later that evening, Buttigieg
went to the Human Rights Campaign gala at Caesar’s Palace.
The 37-year-old mayor was in

Los Angeles earlier in the week
for a series of fundraisers and a
union event with Mayor Eric Garcetti to support the city’s Measure
EE, a parcel tax to benefit public
education.
Buttigieg, who would be the
youngest and the first openly
gay president in history, is one
of 21 Democrats running for the
country’s top seat, who include
former Vice President Joe Biden
and Senators Kamala Harris, Cory
Booker, Elizabeth Warren, and
Bernie Sanders.
With Nevada as a key swing
state, presidential candidates
have made it a point to campaign
in the state and meet with AAPIs,
who are considered one of the
fastest-growing minority groups
and make up 10 percent of the
state’s electorate. n

Mayor Pete Buttigieg met with over 150 AAPI community members in Las Vegas on Saturday, May 11.

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Dateline USa

LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • mAy 16-22, 2019

Two Chinese vessels spotted
during BRP and USCGC training
by AJPress

President Donald Trump on Monday, May 13 was joined by the co-chairs of the Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific
Islanders: Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao; and its commissioners: Amata Coleman
Radewagen, Delegate for the U.S. House of Representatives, American Samoa; Sean Reyes, State of Utah Attorney General; Dr. Paul Hsu
of Florida; David B. Cohen of California; Y. Lee of Michigan; George Leing of Colorado; Jan-Ie Low of Nevada; Herman Martir of Texas; Prem
Parameswaran of New York; and Chiling Tong of Maryland.
Official White House photo by Joyce N. Boghosian

Trump signs executive order to reestablish...
PAGE 1
It re-establishes the president’s
Advisory Commission on AAPIs
and the White House Initiative on
AAPIs, which work to “broaden
access by AAPI employers and
communities to economic resources and opportunities” and
collect data for AAPI populations
through all agencies of the federal
government.
The president’s signing in the
Oval Office was witnessed by
members of the Advisory Commission, including its co-chairs Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and
Secretary of Transportation Elaine
Chao and its commissioners, who
include two Filipino Americans:
Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes
and Herman Martir, a pastor from
Fort Worth, Texas.
Reyes, whose father is of Filipino and Spanish descent, has been
attorney general of his state since
2013 — during which he became
the first ethnic minority to hold
that position or any statewide office in Utah. Martir, a pastor at Nations Worship Center, is the president of the Asian Action Network

President Donald Trump on Monday, May 13 signed executive order “Economic Empowerment of
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders” in celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosianv

and the Asian Prayer Network and
founder of Emerging Leaders International. Both Martir and Reyes
were part of Trump’s AAPI advisory committee during his 2016
presidential campaign.
Other commissioners present
on Monday were Amata Coleman
Radewagen, Delegate for the U.S.
House of Representatives, American Samoa; Dr. Paul Hsu of Florida; David B. Cohen of California;
Y. Lee of Michigan; George Leing
of Colorado; Jan-Ie Low of Nevada;
Prem Parameswaran of New York;

and Chiling Tong of Maryland. The
commissioners were appointed by
Trump in January.
The first White House Initiative
on AAPIs was established through
an executive order by former
President Bill Clinton in 1999 and
subsequently renewed by former
Presidents George W. Bush and
Barack Obama.
AAPIs, which are considered
the fastest-growing racial group
in the U.S., account for more
than 6 percent of the country’s
population. (AJPress)

at 14th place with 13,951,245
votes.
At 13th is Ejercito with
14,071,111 votes — or only
119,966 votes behind.
PPCRV is one of Comelec’s
citizens’ arms in this year’s elections. The other one is the Legal
Network for Truthful Elections
(Lente), a nationwide group of
lawyers, law students, paralegals
and other trained volunteers.
The NBOC first convened its
canvassing session last Monday
but immediately adjourned after
no votes have been transmitted
at Comelec.
Comelec spokesperson James
Jimenez said the poll body was
aiming to finish the canvassing
of votes within the week. n

BARkO ng Republika ng Pilipinas (BRP) Batangas and kalanggaman along with United
States Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) Bertholf on Tuesday, May
14, spotted two Chinese coast
guard vessels seemingly monitoring the exercises.
The Philippine Coast Guard
(PCG) said that the two Chinese
Coast Guard vessels were seen
near Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal during the capacity-building exercises 50 nautical
miles from Subic Bay.
They claimed that at one point,
one of the Chinese ships got as
close as 2.9 nautical miles from
the BRP Batangas. However, the
Chinese vessels did not interact
with the Philippine ship.
BRP Batangas Commanding
Officer Commander Gary Dale
Gimotea said that the capacity
exercises were the first PH-U.S.
engagement of its kind in the
West Philippine Sea. The trainings included a rescue simulation

and communication exercise.
“The U.S. has their capacity to
conduct maritime law enforcement and maritime security, and
the Philippines has its own set
of protocols to do the same. By
working together, we learn from
each other and develop working
harmony involving mutual interest of both countries,” he said.
He added that they were not
bothered by the Chinese presence in the area. According to
him, “they’re just trying to observe what we’re trying to do
with the capability exercise involving the U.S. Coast Guard.”
“We still continue to do what
we need to do. We have a job
to protect and we are not really
concerned with what they are
doing there as long as we are doing our mandate within the law,”
Gimotea explained as reported
by The Philippine Daily Inquirer.
The commanding officer emphasized that the concern of the
coast guard lies solely on the
safety of the people and the immediate maritime environment.
“The coast guard is a humani-

tarian agency and is focused on
saving lives. Almost all coast
guards are one at sea and helping
and keeping maritime security,
maritime safety and environmental protection,” Gimotea said.
“It’s mutual interest between
countries aimed at helping the
people who use our maritime environment,” he added.
Scarborough, dubbed by Filipinos as Panatag Shoal and by
the Chinese as Huangyan Island,
has been a disputed area since
2012 when Manila sent its biggest warship to chase off Chinese
poachers.
Filipino fishermen reported
that some Chinese Coast Guard
ships drove them away from
the shoal as wooden ships that
bore China’s flag harvested giant
clams.
With Chinese government
ships watching from a distance,
one of the U.S. Coast Guard’s
biggest and most advanced vessels conducted drills with Philippine counterparts near the
Scarborough Shoal in the West
Philippine Sea (WPS). n

tion for Asian Americans in that
many reported using the internet to buy hard-to-find products
from Asia, the report further
found that such purchase trends
were making a hit in U.S. mainstream culture.
For example, trending among
non-Asians in the U.S. are Japanese snack box subscriptions
and korean baby seats. Market
sales of Asian sauces and condiments also each grew 6% last
year.
“Products such as ready-todrink green tea and curry spices
have seen impressive dollar and
unit volume far outpacing that of
overall beverages and spices,”
said the report which included
ghee, kombucha, naan, Asian
dumplings, sushi, sesame cook-

ing oil, jasmine rice, and curry
paste among Asian foods finding
mainstream appeal.
“Asian Americans are reshaping the American path to purchase, traversing the consumer
journey fortified with their status
as trailblazers in innovative internet connectivity, e-commerce
with a global perspective, and
holistic views of diet and consumption,” concluded the report.
“Despite a greater percentage of
Asian Americans under 35 being
U.S. born, culture sustainability
driven by multigenerational influences and the ability to blend
cultures to create an evolved
U.S. culture in their own image
is having a profound effect on
American society.” (Rae Ann Varona/AJPress)

Asian Americans spent $1 trillion last year...
PAGE 2

ing to at least one of them (19%
higher than the total population),” said the report.
On social media where younger Asian Americans have been
found to be especially savvy, the
report highlighted that Asian
Americans as a group particularly outpace the general U.S. when
it comes to online shopping.
According to the report, 26%
agreed that social media had an
important role in their discovery
about products, 19% agreed
that rating or reviewing was an
important reason for social media use, and 22% agreed that
receiving offers and other discounts were important on social
media.
Furthermore, Asian Americans said they enjoyed sharing
advice on purchases and their
opinions on products with others. With electronics and technology, 43% agreed that they
gave advice to others looking to
buy new devices. For food, 71%
said that they typically recommended food products they liked
to people they knew.
And while online shopping
was found to more importantly
offer a sense of cultural connec-

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LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • mAy 16-22, 2019

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Dateline PHontiveros
hiliPPines
vows to strive for independent Senate

People urged to clean up
‘election trash’ after 2019 polls
by Ritchel

Mendiola
AJPress

EnvironmEntal watchdog
EcoWaste Coalition implored candidates as well as the public to help
clean up the remnants of the campaign season days after the 2019
Philippine midterm elections.
aileen lucero, the national coordinator of EcoWaste Coalition,
said: “regardless of the outcome
of your election bid, we appeal to
all candidates and parties to take
down your campaign materials
without delay. Kabit, sabit o dikit
mo, tanggal mo (If you posted it,
you should remove it).”
Echoing her sentiments, Department of the interior local and
Government Secretary Eduardo
año encouraged local government units and candidates to
start with their own circles and
conduct cleanup drives across
the country.
“tapos na po ang halalan at
nakapili na ang mga mamamayan
kung sino sa palagay nila ang
karapat-dapat na magsagwan sa
kanila tungo sa tunay na pagbabago
(Elections are over and the people
have chosen who they think should
lead them toward change).... Win
or lose, show that you are a good
sport and that you have the best
intentions for your communities by
being part of the clean-up drive in
your areas,” año said.
He also stated that candidates,
elected or not, should show their
commitment to conserve and improve their communities by helping clean up the waste produced
during the elections.
“ipakita natin na masinop at
may disiplina tayong mga Pilipino.
alisin na natin ang anumang
bahid ng katatapos na eleksiyon
at magsimula tayo n ang malinis
ang ating kapaligiran at malinis
ang ating hangarin sa pagliling-

by KRistine Joy

Philstar.com

Patag

manila — as results of the
2019 midterm polls continue to
trickle in, Sen. risa Hontiveros
on Wednesday, may 15, said
that senators in the minority will
continue to work for Senate independence.
“We will continue to strive
for an independent Senate and
introduce electoral reforms, particularly in the partylist system
and for campaign finance reform,”
Hontiveros said.
Hontiveros stressed that the
Senate serves as the public’s “last
line of defense within the government against continuing attempts
to undermine our democracy and

Trash and campaign materials of candidates seen outside Rosauro Almario Elementary School
in Tondo, Manila.
Philstar.com photo by Edd Gumban

kod (Let’s show that we Filipinos
are neat and disciplined. Let’s
remove all traces of the recently
concluded elections and start with
a clean desire and environment to
serve),” año added.
Ecowaste Coalition also suggested to exercise upcycling of
elections campaign materials
aside from conducting cleanup
drives. Some of its benefits include decreased garbage volume,
lowered disposal cost, reduced
greenhouse gas emissions, conservation of resources, cleaner
surroundings, and an enhanced
environmental awareness.
“Upcycling, or the creative
reuse of discards, is a practical
way of saving resources from being burned or sent to the dumps
and landfills for disposal,” lucero
said.
the environmental watchdog
listed down possible ways to
upcycle campaign materials like
repurposing paper-based campaign materials into bookmarks,
envelopes, folders, drawing pads,

memo pads, name plates, and
scrap books; meanwhile, tarpaulins used can be turned into bags
or cases for pencils and mobile
phones.
With the amount of trash produced during the elections, EcoWaste Coalition called on the Commission on Elections (Comelec)
to think of long-term solutions
like upgrading existing rules to
lessen the use of materials that
are toxic and are difficult to reuse
or recycle.
año emphasized that post-election trash should immediately be
cleaned as it might clog canals
and waterways and may later
cause flooding.
“mas magiging malala ang
sitwasyon kapag umulan dahil
siguradong magdudulot ng baha
ang basurang ikinalat natin kaya
kumilos na agad tayo (The situation might become worse during
rainy seasons, as scattered waste
will definitely cause floods. Immediate action should be done),”
he said. n

Sen. Risa Hontiveros is part of the Senate’s
minority bloc.
Philstar.com photo

attack our human rights.”
She added: “We will persevere... if anything, we will work
harder, strive further and serve
better.”
While the partial, official Comelec results released late tuesday,
may 14, showed reelectionist Sen.
Bam aquino as the lone opposition candidate landing a spot in
the winners’ circle, the partial,
unofficial tally—with more than
96% votes reported—has administration-backed candidates
dominating the top 12.
in the partial, unofficial tally as
of 11:27 a.m., Wednesday, aquino
is at the 14th spot.
of the handful in the Senate
minority bloc, the terms of aquino
and Sen. antonio trillanes iv will
end on June 30.
in the likely event that the
Duterte allies fill up the Senate’s
chamber, the president’s clout in
Congress would strengthen and
bolster the country’s policy-making process.
Political analyst Dennis Coronacion however cautioned that the
scenario would likely weigh on the
system of checks and balances in
the country.
“in the event that President
Duterte’s allies dominate the
Senate, it’s very likely that the
institution will lose its touted independence,” Coronacion, a political
science professor at the University of Santo tomas, told Philstar.
com in an interview.

“the worst case scenario is
when the Senate becomes a
rubber stamp for the executive,”
Coronacion added.
Probe into alleged irregularities in 2019 polls
Hontiveros also said that while
they would accept the results of
the polls “for now,” they would
“question the irregularities and
we will never give in to despair.”
“as we vigilantly wait for the
remaining votes to be counted
and for the Comelec to address
the serious cases of massive
vote-buying in the partylist system, the seven-hour delay in the
poll body’s transparency server
and the breakdown of many vote
counting machines (vCms) that
disenfranchised a large number
of voters, we will continue to meet
every challenge and work for the
protection of our democracy, no
matter the circumstances,” the
senator added.
as of early afternoon of election
day, the Comelec said there were
already around 400 to 600 cases
of malfunctioning vote counting
machines. Despite the staggering
rate, however, Commission on
Elections James Jimenez downplayed the figure. He said that
with around 85,000 vCms in use
nationwide, the number is not outside of the expected number.
Several progressive groups on
tuesday also gathered before the
Commission on Elections to protest
the alleged rigged elections. n

Palace: Antidynasty bill up to Congress

decide. there are good dynasties
Not all dynasties are bad
the Palace official made the and there are bad dynasties,”
remarks amid the defeat of some he said.
among those who lost badly
manila — malacañang is established political families in
leaving it to the “good con- monday’s midterm elections, in the midterm polls were the
science” of the country’s law- and the victory of President ro- Estradas, with the defeat of inmakers to pass a measure ban- drigo Duterte’s children in the cumbent manila mayor Joseph
Ejercito Estrada in the mayoral
ning political dynasties in the local elections in Davao City.
the Constitution presently race in manila and the failure of
Philippines.
“We will leave it to the mem- prohibits political dynasties, but his children Jinggoy and Jv Ejerbers of Congress, to their good a lack of an enabling law has cito to break into the senatorial
conscience, to whatever they prevented it from being fully race’s magic 12.
the Estradas also lost in San
think is good for this country,” implemented.
Panelo noted that President Juan City, their bailiwick, with
presidential spokesperson Salalam ko nangangampaniya siya vador Panelo said when asked Duterte himself believed that the victory of their rival Francis
for others (Maybe she was over- if the Palace would push for an not all political dynasties are Zamora.
bad, and that he would rather
“local elections have different
confident considering that she has antipolitical dynasty bill.
the public can either choose let the people decide who would dynamics. the people are the
five million followers and most of
ones who know the dynasties
them are overseas voters. I know or reject old political families lead them.
Estradas
themselves. if their leadership is
she had campaigned for others),” depending on whether they are
“[mr. Duterte has] said before oK, then they will vote for them
still “fruitful or beneficial” to
he added.
that Filipinos will be the ones to again,” Panelo said. n
Panelo said he found it “incred- them, Panelo added.
ible” that Uson’s party-list did
May 28 Tues. Minker Sports
275 N. Mojave Rd. / Stew9am-5pm
not win.
Karagdagang kaalaman sa Filipino (Tagalog)
Complex
art, LV
the Palace official said Uson’s
ay makikita rin sa website ng Lalawigan ng
May 28 Tues. Sahara West
9600 W. Sahara Ave. / Grand 10am-6pm
party-list might have won if it was
Clark Kagawaran ng Halalan sa:
Library
Canyon, LV
named after her.
www.clarkcountynv.gov/votetag.
May 28 Tues. SkyView YMCA
3050 E. Centennial Pkwy., NLV 9am-4pm
“Eh hindi naman mocha ang
May 29 Wed. Lieburn Senior
6230 Garwood Ave., LV
9am-5pm
NOTICE
OF
EARLY
VOTING
FOR
partylist eh. Siguro kung mocha
Ctr.
THE
ENTIRE
CITY
OF
BOULDER
CITY;
LAS
VEGAS’
Partylist, aba’y baka overwhelming
9am-5pm
May 29 Wed. Minker Sports
275 N. Mojave Rd. / StewWARDS 1, 2 AND 3; AND
art, LV
Complex
(The name of the party-list is not
NORTH LAS VEGAS’ WARD 4
May 29 Wed. Sahara West
9600 W. Sahara Ave. / Grand 10am-6pm
Mocha. Maybe if it’s called Mocha
2019 MUNICIPAL GENERAL ELECTIONS AND
Library
Canyon, LV
party-list, it could have been overCITY OF LAS VEGAS’ WARD 2 SPECIAL ELECTION
May 29 Wed. SkyView YMCA
3050 E. Centennial Pkwy., NLV 9am-6pm
whelming),” he said.
May 30 Thu. East Las Vegas
2851 E. Bonanza Rd., East of 10am-6pm
Uson, who campaigned for NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that early voting for the June 11,
Library
Eastern, LV
Duterte in the 2016 presidential 2019 Municipal General Elections and the City of Las Vegas’ May 30 Thu. Lieburn Senior 6230 Garwood Ave., LV
9am-5pm
Ward
2
Special
Election
will
take
place
in
the
cities
of
Boulder
election, had worked as comCtr.
City,
Las
Vegas
and
North
Las
Vegas.
munications assistant secretary,
May 30 Thu. Sahara West
9600 W. Sahara Ave. / Grand 10am-6pm
Library
Canyon, LV
but lawmakers demanded his
RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT
May 30 Thu. SkyView YMCA
3050 E. Centennial Pkwy., NLV 9am-6pm
resignation for failing to appear
Village Ctr. Cir. / Trails Ctr., LV 9am-5pm
in a Congressional hearing on his Voters who are registered to vote in any area of the City of May 31 Fri. Albertsons
May 31 Fri.
East Las Vegas
2851 E. Bonanza Rd., East of 10am-5pm
agency’s budget for 2019. n
Boulder City, in the City of Las Vegas’ Wards 1, 2, or 3, or
Library
Eastern, LV
in the City of North Las Vegas’ Ward 4 are eligible to vote in May 31 Fri. North Mesa Plaza 1601 W. Craig Rd. / Martin L. 9am-6pm
this election. You cannot vote in these municipal and special
(trailer)
King Blvd., NLV
elections if you are registered to vote in unincorporated ar- May 31 Fri. Rainbow Library 3150 N. Buffalo Dr. / Chey10am-6pm
eas of Clark County or any other area that is not specifically
enne, LV
City); Corazon malanyaon (Davao indicated.
June 1 Sat.
Albertsons
Charleston / Rainbow, LV
9am-5pm
oriental); Joel mayo almario
June 1 Sat.
Albertsons
Village Ctr. Cir. / Trails Ctr., LV 9am-5pm
VOTING
BY
MAIL
(Davao oriental); lorna Bautista
June 1 Sat.
East Las Vegas
2851 E. Bonanza Rd., East of 10am-5pm
Library
Eastern, LV
Bandigan (Davao occidental); ruAny registered voter who is eligible to vote in these elections
wel Gonzaga (Compostella valley); may choose to vote by mail. A written request for a mail ballot June 1 Sat. North Mesa Plaza 1601 W. Craig Rd. / Martin L. 9am-6pm
(trailer)
King Blvd., NLV
Jose tejada (Cotabato); manuel must be received by 5:00 p.m. on June 4, 2019. Mail ballot
Charleston / Rainbow, LV
9am-5pm
Zubiri (Bukidnon); and Bai rihan requests may be obtained from the Clark County Election De- June 2 Sun. Albertsons
June 2 Sun. Albertsons
Village Ctr. Cir. / Trails Ctr., LV 9am-5pm
Sakaluran (Sultan Kudarat).
partment at 702-455-8683 or online at www.ClarkCountyNV. June 2 Sun. East Las Vegas 2851 E. Bonanza Rd., East of 10am-5pm
Dozens of candidates for gover- gov/vote. If you received a ballot by mail, you may surrender
Library
Eastern, LV
nor, mayor and other local posts that ballot at any early voting site and vote in person.
June 2 Sun. North Mesa Plaza 1601 W. Craig Rd. / Martin L. 9am-6pm
also had no rivals.
(trailer)
King Blvd., NLV
EARLY VOTING
June 3 Mon. Albertsons
Charleston / Rainbow, LV
9am-5pm
“Just like in business, comJune 3 Mon. East Las Vegas
250 N. Eastern Ave. / Stewart 9am-5pm
petition is absolutely necessary
VOTING IS EASY! Eligible voters may vote at any of the conCommunity Ctr.
Ave., LV
to provide consumers — in this venient early voting sites listed below OR on Election Day at
case voters — greater freedom any of the City of Boulder City, Las Vegas, or North Las Vegas June 3 Mon. North Mesa Plaza 1601 W. Craig Rd. / Martin L. 9am-6pm
(trailer)
King Blvd., NLV
to choose and to encourage fair Vote Centers, which replace the traditional municipal election June 3 Mon. Veterans Memori- 101 N. Pavilion Ctr. Dr., North 10am-6pm
play,” atienza said.
polling places.
al Leisure Ctr.
of Alta, LV
atienza called for a return to the
June 4 Tue.
Aliante Library
2400 W. Deer Springs Way,
11am-7pm
LONG-TERM MALL AND SHOPPING CENTER
two-party system.
East of Aliante Pkwy., NLV
EARLY VOTING SITES
June 4 Tue.
East Las Vegas
250 N. Eastern Ave. / Stewart 9am-5pm
“as long as we have at least two
Community Ctr.
Ave., LV
dominant parties all the time, it
June 4 Tue.
Lakes Lutheran
8200 W. Sahara Ave. /
9am-5pm
is okay to have multiple political MEADOWS MALL - JCPENNEY COURT, 1ST FLOOR
4300 Meadows Ln. / S. Valley View Blvd., Las Vegas
Church
Cimarron, LV
parties,” atienza said. (ManilaT- Saturday-Friday, May 25-June 7 (every day) . . . . .10am-6pm
June 4 Tue.
Veterans Memori- 101 N. Pavilion Ctr. Dr., North 10am-6pm
imes.net)
al Leisure Ctr.
of Alta, LV
DEER SPRINGS TOWN CENTER - TRAILER IN
June 5 Wed. Aliante Library
2400 W. Deer Springs Way,
11am-7pm
East of Aliante Pkwy., NLV
PARKING LOT NEAR MICHAELS
N. 5th St., South of CC-215 / W. Dorrell Ln., North Las Vegas June 5 Wed. East Las Vegas 250 N. Eastern Ave. / Stewart 9am-5pm
Community Ctr.
Ave., LV
Saturday-Friday, May 25-June 7 (every day) . . . . . .9am-6pm
by Julie

auRelio
Inquirer.net

Panelo in disbelief: ‘Mocha lost? I can’t believe that’
by nestoR

coRRales
Inquirer.net

manila — Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo expressed
disbelief that former communications assistant secretary margaux
“mocha” Uson’s party-list did
not get even a single seat in Congress.
“Bakit, talo si mocha (Mocha
lost)? Parang i can’t believe that,”
Panelo told reporters in malacañang after he was asked to comment on aa Kasosyo party-list’s
failure to secure a Congressional
seat.
Based on partial and unofficial
tally as of 5:01 p.m. on Wednesday,
Uson’s party-list has so far received
116,815 votes, but it failed to reach
the requirement of one percent of
total votes to get at least one seat
in Congress.
Panelo said mocha, who has at
least five million Facebook followers may have been overconfident
and did not concentrate on the

Mocha Uson

Inquirer.net photo

campaign.
“Hindi siya nakakuha—eh isa
lang ang ibig sabihin niyan: Hindi
siya nag-concentrate sa pagkampaniya (She didn’t even get a single
seat. It only means one thing. She
didn’t concentrate on the campaign),” he said.
“Baka she was overconfident
considering na she has five million followers and most of them
are overseas na bumuboto. Kasi

Atienza decries ‘dysfunctional’ democracy
tHE large number of congressional and local candidates who
ran unopposed in the midterm
elections brought to light the country’s “dysfunctional” democracy,
the Buhay party-list group said.
“Having a lone candidate for
an elective post is bad for voters
who are left with no choice,” said
Buhay rep. Jose “lito” atienza,
the House senior deputy minority
leader, said.
“it is also bad for [the] government and for our system of checks
and balance, and bad for our political parties, as well,” he added.
records from the Commission
on Elections showed that 34
congressional candidates were
unchallenged. they are neptali
“Boyet” Gonzales 2nd (mandaluyong City); Dale “along” malapitan
(Caloocan City); Weslie Gatchalian (valenzuela City); abra-

COMMON POSTER AREA. Kids play at the Serbisyong Bayan Park, a designated common poster area of candidates running in the mid-term
elections, in Barangay Batasan, Quezon City on Monday, May 13. Over 61 million Filipinos are expected to cast their votes in today’s polls.
PNA photo by Oliver Marquez

To find nearby sites during early voting, go to www.ClarkCountyNV.gov/vote for
a link to an interactive, mobile device enabled early voting site map.
DATED: May 16, 2019
Joseph P. Gloria
Registrar of Voters
PUB: May 16, 23, 30 and June 6, 2019
Las Vegas Asian Journal

6

http://www.asianjournal.com • (702) 792-6678

MAY 16-22, 2019 • LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL

OPINION

Ugly traditions must end

FEATURES

VOTE buying, according to President Rodrigo Duterte, is an “integral
part” of Philippine elections. Having spent much of his adult life as a
politician, the President must know whereof he speaks.
He issued the statement in a
chance interview, near the end of
voting, when the Philippine National Police had arrested hundreds of
people, including candidates and
supporters, on charges of buying
and selling votes.
The president did say that vote buying is an
election offense and violators would be prosecuted. But he said all candidates engage in some form
of vote buying. Last week he said he saw nothing
wrong with giving voters P50 each for their transport fare to and from the polling centers.
He may be correct about vote buying being a
tradition in this country, but this does not mean
that people should stop trying to put an end to it.
This is why laws were passed against buying and
selling votes. What is lacking is enforcement.
Candidates themselves should welcome the
strict enforcement of the law, since it would mean
lower expenses for them. Problems, however, crop
up when the law is selectively enforced.

The country imposes tough penalties for election-related offenses,
particularly for the relatively new
crime of electoral sabotage. But if
even one candidate with the right
connections is allowed to break the
law and regulations of the Commission on Elections, giving the candidate an edge over political
opponents, then the floodgates are open for electoral offenses.
The president has said that those arrested for
buying and selling votes would face prosecution.
People have taken the trouble of reporting cases
of vote buying, believing that their complaints
would be acted upon, as indicated by the Comelec.
The PNP has done its part; now the prosecution
service, which is under the executive, should pursue the cases. Candidates who engaged in buying
votes must be disqualified and permanently barred
from holding public office. Unless offenders are
convicted and punished, vote buying will never
stop. (Philstar.com)

Editorial

The Fil-Am
Perspective
GEL SANTOS-RELOS
PRESIDENT Donald Trump is
yet again engaged in a Twitter
war with Filipino American attorney and conservative leader
George Conway, after the president declared the 22-month long
Mueller probe, “sick and unlawful.”
Conway has called out Trump
more than the president’s enablers in Congress and in the
administration — including his
own wife, Senior Advisor Kellyanne Conway — for being a
“malignant narcissist” who could
only view special counsel Robert
Mueller’s investigation “purely
in terms of your own ego.” The
Fil-Am lawyer argued that the
actions Trump took in his own
self-interest to win the 2016
presidential election against Hillary Clinton should be enough to
remove him from office.
Conway, known for his work
in defending conservative principles, had been one of the most
outspoken critics of Trump. He
organized a group called “Checks
and Balances” in November

Commentary

YEN MAKABENTA
ROLAND Simbulan’s lecture,
“The CIA in Manila: the CIA’s
Covert Operations and Hidden
History in the Philippines” was
delivered at the University of the
Philippines Manila on Aug. 18,
2000.
Simbulan opens the talk with
these words: “For a long time,
Manila was the main station, if not
the regional headquarters, of the
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
for Southeast Asia. This is perhaps so because the Philippines
has always been regarded as a
stronghold of U.S. imperial power
in Asia. Since the Americanized
Filipinos were under the spell of
American culture, they were easy
to recruit without their realizing
they were committing treason to
their own people and country.”
“Easy to recruit,” “committing
treason to their own people and
country.” The lecture hurts at the
get-go. It gets worse and worse as
you read the entire story.
Simbulan’s revelations are extensive and explosive. I will summarize here the key observations
and highlights.
Marcos rule and Marcos’
health
1. CIA human intelligence assets in Manila are said to have
provided vital information to
Washington at crucial times. According to declassified documents

Philstar.com photo

Filipino American lawyer George Conway calls Trump
a ‘malignant narcissist’ for approach on Mueller probe

2018, made up of more than
a dozen members of the conservative-libertarian Federalist
Society, which had been instrumental in selecting candidates
for the Trump administration to
appoint to federal courts.
According to the report of
The New York Times, “Checks
and Balances” is “urging their
fellow conservatives to speak
up about what they say are the
Trump administration’s betrayals of bedrock legal norms.”
One of the members of the
group, John Bellinger, contended that “Conservative lawyers
are not doing enough to protect
constitutional principles that are
being undermined by the statements and actions of this president.”
Conway had previously posted
on Twitter that Trump has “narcissistic and anti-social personality disorders,” which allegedly
incapacitate him in discharging
the duties and obligations of the
Office of the President.
Trump replied on Twitter:
“George Conway, often referred
to as Mr. Kellyanne Conway by
those who know him, is VERY

jealous of his wife’s success
& angry that I, with her help,
didn’t give him the job he so
desperately wanted. I barely
know him but just take a look,
a stone cold LOSER & husband
from hell!”
Here is the thread of the Twitter war between Trump and
Conway on May 12, 2019:
TRUMP: “Think of it. I became President of the United
States in one of the most hard
fought and consequential elections in the history of our great
nation. From long before I ever
took office, I was under a sick &
unlawful investigation concerning what has become known as
the Russian…”
“…Hoax. My campaign was
being seriously spied upon by
intel agencies and the Democrats. This never happened before in American history, and it
all turned out to be a total scam,
a Witch Hunt, that yielded No
Collusion, No Obstruction. This
must never be allowed to happen again!”
CONWAY: “Think of it. The
Russia investigation was a legitimate investigation, with a legit-

imate basis, into how a hostile
foreign power tried to interfere
with and undermine our democracy. It was in the best interests
of the nation—in the interests
of all Americans, no matter who
…”
“they voted for—that this investigation be allowed to proceed to its rightful conclusion,
without improper attempts to
obstruct it, if only so that we
could all know what really happened and take steps to see that
it never happens again. But because ….”
“… you are a malignant narcissist—a person with both narcissistic and antisocial personality disorders—you couldn’t view
it that way. Instead of complying with your oath of office, and
instead of taking stock of what
was in the best interests of…”
“the nation whose Constitution and laws you swore to
uphold, you viewed the matter
purely in terms of your own ego:
You viewed the investigation as
casting doubt on what you perceive as your great election victory (in which your opponent
garnered…”

“... nearly three million more
votes than you did), and so you
took multiple steps to obstruct,
and repeatedly lied about, the
investigation from the outset.
Even today, despite the wellfounded assessments of the intelligence community, and despite the …”
“... damning evidence laid out
in the Mueller report, you refuse
to take what the Russians did
seriously. Instead, you continue
to lie, calling the investigation
a “hoax” and an “attempted
coup,” and you didn’t even mention Russia’s …”
“... conduct in your recent 90minute conversation with Putin,
the man who seeks to undermine our institutions. Put simply, you put your own perceptions of your self-interest above
the national interest, which you
seem unable to comprehend or
respect…”
“... That is your greatest offense against the country, an
offense that incorporates but
vastly exceeds the statutory
crimes you’ve committed. It is
the ultimate high crime or misdemeanor under the Constitu-

tion, and under the Framers’
wise design,…”
“... it is an offense for which
you should pay with your office,
regardless of whether you are
ultimately brought to justice in
the courts of law.”
Last April, Conway said
Trump’s
misconduct
was
“worse” than the misconduct
that led to former President
Nixon’s resignation.
KUDOS to George Conway for
having the testicular fortitude to
call out Trump for his transgressions against the country, something that his spineless enablers
like his staff in the White House,
his cabinet secretaries in the
Executive Department, and the
Republican leadership in Congress would not do because of
their hawkish grip to power and
personal political expediency
and interests and power play.
***
Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s
“Balitang America.” Views and opinions
expressed by the author in this column are
solely those of the author and not of Asian
Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go
to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://
www.facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos

The CIA and Namfrel: Should this dog survive its scandalous past?

under the Freedom of Information Act, on Sept. 17, 1972, a CIA
asset in the Philippines who was
in the inner circle of Marcos informed the CIA station in Manila
that Ferdinand Marcos was planning to proclaim martial law on
Sept. 21,1972. The CIA station
in Manila was also provided in
advance a copy of Proclamation
1081—the proclamation that declared martial law in the country.
The CIA’s assessment of the
Sept. 21, 1972 declaration of
martial rule boosted the prestige
of the CIA station in Manila.
In 1982, the CIA was able to
verify from a high-ranking Philippine immigration officer the
names of the two doctors who
visited the Philippines to treat
Marcos for kidney failure, giving
the CIA a clear picture of Marcos’
health problems.
CIA goes beyond original
mission
2. The CIA is the covert overseas intelligence agency of the
United States government and
is likewise an “action-oriented”
vehicle of American foreign and
military policy.
The 1975 Church Committee
Report of the U.S. congressional investigations into the CIA’s
covert activities abroad revealed
how countless foreign governments were overthrown by the
CIA; how the CIA instigated a
military coup d’état and assassinated foreign political leaders
like Chilean President Salvador
Allende, who merely tried to safeguard the interests of their own

country; and how “special ops”
and paramilitary campaigns contributed to the death, directly or
indirectly, of millions of people,
as a result of those actions.
The CIA has gone beyond its
original mission of gathering intelligence and was conducting
Mafia-type operations not only
in its own territory but against
foreign governments and their
leaders.
CIA covert action in the Philippines
The CIA in the Philippines
has engaged in countless covert
operations for intervention and
dirty tricks, particularly in Philippine domestic politics. On top
of all this is the U.S. diplomatic
mission, especially the political
section that is a favorite cover
for many CIA operatives. CIA
front companies also provide an
additional but convenient layer
of cover for operatives assigned
overseas.
The agency’s assets and technical infrastructure in Manila
were drastically affected by the
withdrawal of the bases in 1992
because, before this, the CIA operated jointly with the Defense
Intelligence Agency (DIA) major
listening posts into most of Indochina and southern China.
The loss of the bases in the
Philippines was a tremendous
blow to the CIA’s Asian infrastructure, if not a major setback.
Legitimation of colonial domination
The U.S. places a high premium on the ideological legitima-

tion of its continuing neocolonial
domination over the Philippines
and, as such, depends heavily
on U.S.-financed and U.S.-sponsored institutions, especially on
the ideological front. Thus, grants
are generously poured in by such
agencies like USAid, National
Endowment for Democracy, Asia
Foundation and the big businesssponsored Ford Foundation. The
objective is to constantly lure
and lull the masses into the elitedominated electoral process,
thus legitimizing the neoliberal
economic system and its political
apparatus, producing a fragile social peace and a “peaceful mechanism for competition among the
Filipino elite and oligarchy.”
CIA fronts in Manila
Among the most prominent CIA
fronts in Manila is the Asia Foundation with offices at Magallanes
Village, Makati. According to a
former U.S. State Department
bureaucrat William Blum in a recent book, the “Asia Foundation
is the principal CIA front” and
funding conduit in Asia. The Asia
Foundation funds and supports
known anti-communist groups or
influential personalities, i.e. academics, journalists, local officials
and institutions.
Simbulan said his interviews
with former CIA operatives in the
Philippines in 1996 confirm the
active use of this foundation for
the “Agency.”
A complete cut-off after 1967,
however, would have forced the
foundation to shut down, so the
agency made it the beneficiary of

a large “severance payment” in
order to give it a couple of years
to develop alternative sources of
funding.
Tancangco report
In her 1992 book, The Tancangco Report: The Anatomy of
Electoral Fraud (Matrix Manila,
1992), Luzviminda G. Tancangco, a former commissioner of the
Commission on Elections, provides firsthand documentation on
Namfrel’s work as a watchdog of
Philippine elections.
Because of its well-documented association with the CIA in
the Philippines, Namfrel tried to
scrub its history by alleging that
it started election watching only
in the snap elections in 1986.
This way, it sought to wipe away
its shadowy activities in previous
national elections.
But even the historical revisionism was insufficient for
cleansing. In the 1986 snap elections, it promptly returned to its
old ways. It became a partisan
for the presidential campaign of
Corazon Aquino. It took part in
a plot to deprive Marcos of victory and propagandize a fictitious
Cory Aquino victory.
No matter what it did Namfrel
could not credibly document the
alleged Aquino victory in a way
that would invalidate the official Comelec count of the votes,
which saw Marcos as the victor.
The most that the Aquino partisans could do was claim that
Marcos had stolen the snap election.
To this day, foreign correspon-

dents like Tony Lopez of the defunct Asiaweek, will swear that
Marcos won the snap 1986 elections.
Tancangco in her book documents Namfrel’s numeracy.
She noted: “Comelec charged
that Namfrel tabulated spurious
election returns and that it withheld results from the Kilusan ng
Bagong Lipunan bailiwicks.
“Namfrel was finally charged
with engaging in trending or extrapolation of results, and hiding
of election returns favoring the
KBL, and resorting to selective
posting.”
In the subsequent 1987 election, Tancangco noted a twist
in the image of Namfrel. Its image as a countercheck on possible fraud by the ruling KBL as
changed to that of a possible collaborator with the ruling coalition
under the Aquino administration.
The shortcomings of Namfrel as an election watchdog in
the 1986 and 1987 elections are
documented in the Tancangco
Report. It could never attest to
the credibility or accuracy of its
election count. It had no authentication process in the various
stages of vote tallying and vote
aggregation.
To this day, the questionable
and incomplete Namfrel count is
the only documentation available
for Cory Aquino’s alleged victory
in the February 1986 snap elections.
Was Namfrel in 1986 still doing work for the CIA? Was it receiving U.S. funding? ■

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LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL â&#x20AC;˘ mAy 16-22, 2019

Duterte â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;insultâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to journo meant â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Erapâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; brand not enough power to secure seats for kin
to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;intimidate targetsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x201D; NUJP
by Kristine Joy

Philstar.com

MANILA â&#x20AC;&#x201D; The National
Union of Journalists of the Philippines on Tuesday, May 14,
said President Rodrigo Duterteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
insult to veteran journalist Ellen
Tordesillas and other members
of the press was meant to â&#x20AC;&#x153;intimidate his targets.â&#x20AC;?
â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is no question
Duterteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tiresome habit of
spewing personal insults is intended to intimidate his targets
into silence or submission,â&#x20AC;? the
NUJP said in a statement.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;His are the tactics of the thug
who resorts to the bludgeon because he cannot reason, even
then he fails miserably,â&#x20AC;? they
added.
Duterte vouched for the credibility of the latest diagram of
people, including Tordesillas
and other journalists, allegedly
plotting against him on Monday.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;The matrix is true, also that
on â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Bikoy,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? Duterte told reporters in a mix of English and Filipino, in a chance interview after
he cast his vote in Davao City.
He, however, declined to go

into details of the supposed
ouster plot and said that he
would rather have presidential
spokesperson Salvador Panelo answer more of the reportersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; question so that his words
would not be twisted. The president did not cite evidence to
substantiate the claim of a conspiracy.
Duterte resorts to insulting
than explaining â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;matrixâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;
The NUJP hit Duterte for
resorting to insult Tordesillas
when he could not explain
the supposed ouster â&#x20AC;&#x153;matrixâ&#x20AC;?
against him.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Once again, the foulmouthed misogynist who is the
leader of our nation turns to
personal insults when he will
not or, most likely, cannot offer a credible explanation to his
badly concoct and fictitious accusations against critics,â&#x20AC;? the
statement further read.
While Duterte referred the
media to his spokesperson for
â&#x20AC;&#x153;equivocalâ&#x20AC;? issues such as the
matrix, he however vented his
ire at Tordesillas, VERA Files

president and called her a prostitute.
The veteran journalist dismissed Duterteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest tirade
against her and said the firebrand leader resorts to vulgar
words due to lack of evidence to
prove the supposed ouster plot.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Since Duterte does not have
evidence to support his silly
matrix, he is now resorting to
vulgarityâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the only language
he knows,â&#x20AC;? she said in a statement.
The president also insinuated
that other journalists are paid
hacks, receiving payment from
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Western.â&#x20AC;?
But the NUJP stood by
Tordesillas and other journalists who received Duterteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ire.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mr. Duterte may choose to
ignore the lessons of history but
does so at his own peril. But of
one thing we are sure, as history has amply proven. Despots
come and eventually go. The
truth and freedom will always
outlast them,â&#x20AC;? the journalistsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;
group also said. (Kristine Joy
Patag/Philstar.com)

News exec, 2 others indicted for libel
by edu

Punay
Philstar.com

MANILA â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Government prosecutors have indicted a news
executive and two journalists
of ABS-CBN for libel over statements against their colleague,
showbiz reporter Gretchen Fullido, on the sexual harassment
complaint she filed against the
network executives.
A complaint for violation of
Article 353 of the Revised Penal
Code was filed before the Quezon
City Regional Trial Court against
Venancio Borromeo, executive
producer of news program Bandila, former Bandila anchor Ces
Drilon and former showbiz reporter Marie Lozano.
In three separate resolutions
issued on April 29, prosecutors
found probable cause to indict
the three for libel.
After preliminary investigation,
prosecutors held that the defendants acted in bad faith when
they made statements against
Fullido during the networkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s internal investigation on her sexual
harassment complaint against
former news executive Cheryl
Favila and segment producer

Maricar Asprec.
In her affidavit, Drilon said she
witnessed Fullido laugh off and
disregard side comments from
male â&#x20AC;&#x153;TV Patrolâ&#x20AC;? anchors on the
complainantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;body, manner of
dress or behavior,â&#x20AC;? which she
felt constituted sexual harassment.
Drilon also stated that she
heard Fullido saying she â&#x20AC;&#x153;was
willing to wear a bikini with an
inflatable pool and bubbles on
â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;TV Patrolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to increase its ratings.â&#x20AC;?
The prosecutors explained that
Drilon â&#x20AC;&#x153;jumped into conclusion
that the complainant could easily ignore such unpleasant acts,
as if she welcomed the same.â&#x20AC;?

Lozano and Borromeo described Fullidoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s filing of a harassment complaint as a â&#x20AC;&#x153;form of
blackmail, knowing that others
could take her place, especially
since she had never produced
quality work.â&#x20AC;?
The resolutions were approved by Quezon City prosecutor Vimar Barcellano.
With the filing of the cases in
court, the prosecutors said warrants are expected to be issued
for the arrest of the defendants.
Last year, Fullido filed a complaint for sexual harrassment
against Favila and Asprec for
allegedly sending her text messages requesting for sexual favors. n

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NOTICE TO ELECTORS OF CLOSE OF REGISTRATION
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NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the close of voter registration period for the Municipal General Elections
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online registration is Thursday, May 23, 2019.
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exclusively at only one website www.RegistertoVoteNV.gov, which is accessible through www.clarkcountynv.
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401 California Avenue Boulder City, Nevada

MANILA â&#x20AC;&#x201D; When Manila
Mayor Joseph â&#x20AC;&#x153;Erapâ&#x20AC;? Ejercito
Estrada held the highest position
in the land, he was dubbed as a
populist president. The popularity of the action star turned politician did not dim amid an ouster
in 2001 and a plunder conviction as he ran and won the Manila mayor seat in 2013.
Fast forward 2019, the patriarchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bid for re-election for the
cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leadership was foiled by
his fellow actor turned politician,
former Department of Social Welfare and Development Undersecretary Isko Moreno Domagoso.
The political careers of his two
sons seeking re-election in the
Senate look bleak as well.
At 5:53 p.m. on Tuesday, May
14, the partial and unofficial tally
of the 2019 midterm polls showed
no sign of re-election for incumbent Sen. JV Ejercito Estrada nor
a comeback for former Sen. Jinggoy Estrada.
The patriarchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fate
As of 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday,
Domagoso enjoyed a wide margin, receiving 348,425 votes cast
against Estradaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 204,084. Alfredo Lim, who similarly served as a
Manila mayor in the past, earned
134,631 votes despite running
under the Duterte-led PDP-Laban ruling party.
But the clan patriarch did not
want to accept defeat easily.
He was quoted in an ABS-CBN
report as saying: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bakit ako magko-concede? Talagang pri-noject
ako. Lahat ng survey from the
start panalo ako. Tapos ngayon
biglang si Isko nanalo. (Why
would I concede? They were tar-

Former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada

geting me. In all surveys, from
the start, I was the winner but
now Isko is suddenly the winner).â&#x20AC;?
Sons fall back in Senate race
The â&#x20AC;&#x153;Estradaâ&#x20AC;? brand, a source
of a riff between half-brothers
JV Ejercito and Jinggoy Estrada,
was also not strong enough to
get the two inside the winnersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;
circle.
JV, whose legal name is Jose
Victor Gomez Ejercito, previously acknowledged Jinggoy enjoys
the edge of using the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Estradaâ&#x20AC;?
surname, the popular name of a
political dynasty in San Juan City
previously held by their father,
Erap.
For this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s elections, JV
opted to use the name â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ejercito
Estrada JVâ&#x20AC;? on the ballot and â&#x20AC;&#x153;JV
Estradaâ&#x20AC;? as a campaign nickname, in the hopes of capitalizing on the â&#x20AC;&#x153;brand.â&#x20AC;?
The latest partial, unofficial
tally from the Commission on
Elections, however, showed both
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Estradasâ&#x20AC;? outside the Magic
12.

Philstar.com photo

JV is currently ranked at 13th
while Jinggoy placed at 15th.
Erapâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s daughter, Jerika Estrada Ejercito, also failed to win the
councilorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seat for the fourth
district of Manila.
Grandchildren, nephews lose
too
In San Juan City, where the
clan patriarch first built his political career in the 1960s, Erapâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
brand also did not sway enough
voters to bring Janella Estrada
Ejercito to the mayorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seat.
Janella lost to Zamora by
10,000 votes.
Meanwhile, Estradaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nephew
Emilio Ramon â&#x20AC;&#x153;ERâ&#x20AC;? Ejercito suffered a loss at the gubernatorial
race in the province of Laguna.
Ejercito obtained only 390,543
votes, which were only half of
those obtained by leading gubernatorial candidate Ramil Hernandez who got 815,246 votes.
Another of Erapâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nephew,
actor Gary Estrada also lost to
Ace Servillon in the vice mayoral
race in Cainta, Rizal by more
than 40,000 votes. n

Jejomar Binay fails to make political comeback
FORMER Vice President Jejomar Binay lost his bid to represent the first district of Makati
City at the House of Representatives.
Former Makati Mayor Romulo
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kidâ&#x20AC;? PeĂąa was proclaimed as
Makati Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first district representatives after gaining 71,035
votes in the 2019 midterm elections.
Binay, who was seeking a political comeback after stepping
down in 2016, only got 65,229
votes.
Citing glitches in the voting
process and alleged disenfranchisment of voters, the camp of
Binay contested PeĂąaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s victory as
the latter won by more than 5,000

votes.
Makati City Board of Canvassers, however, denied the appeal
of the Binay camp and advised
them to file an appeal before the
Commission on Election en banc.
In 2015, PeĂąa took over as acting mayor of Makati City after the
suspension of then Mayor Junjun
Binay.
The younger Binay was suspended over alleged irregularities
in connection to the construction
of the Makati City Hall Building 2
project.
PeĂąa used to be an ally of the
Binays under the United Nationalist Alliance but had transferred
to the Liberal Party.
Meanwhile in the Makati City

Former Vice President Jejomar Binay
Philstar.com photo by Mong Pintolo

Morisette and Darren Espanto set
a new tone to ‘A Whole New World’
by MJ

Marfori
ManilaTimes.net

DISNEY had the media on
their toes last week and kept
them guessing who would be the
power duo behind the Philippine
rendition of the classic, “A Whole
New World,” from one of its most
beloved animated movies, “Alladin.”
In Disney’s ever thoughtful
tradition, the rerecording is part
of the drum up to the much anticipated live action version “Alladin”
starring Mena Massoud, Naomi
Scott and Will Smith. From the
spread to the lights and stage
at Shangri-La at The Fort, we
knew we were in for one magical
afternoon.
The 1992 Academy Award
winning song was originally interpreted by Brad Kane and Philippine pride Lea Salonga, so it was
but natural to find another world
class Filipino act to follow in her
footsteps.
Finally, when the lights went
out, Darren started the song
with a new pitch that perfectly
showcased his ever evolving vocal
range. It was no longer “singing
contest Darren” at the mic but an
artist fit to be a Disney lead!
Morisette also gave the song

her unique approach while clearly
making an effort to apply similar
techniques Lea had used before,
which was well received by the
audience.
During In the Know’s chat with
the two, they said it took them
less than six months to prepare
for such a big project for Disney
Philippines.
“I was so excited to learn we’d
been chosen to do the recording for the Philippines,” Darren
enthused, “I used to sing Disney
songs but the way I used to sing
them was with a high pitch. So
thankfully, through practice, I
made sure to give the rendition
a version it deserved in a lower
pitch.”
As for Mori, she said that she
was shocked to know she was
chosen for the part but was more
than happy to know that Darren
would be his partner for such a
landmark project.
“Darren may be younger than
me but I was relieved to know
that I would be recording with
him since we’ve been doing quite
a number of shows together here
and abroad.”
Morisette is clearly a singing
diva in the making, but she humbly
said this experience taught her a
lot as a recording artist.

“I always stuck with mainstream
singing and I never knew I had this
voice in me that’s so theatrical. It
was liberating to sing it in a new
way for me which I hope other artists would realize for themselves
as well,” she expressed.
The Philippines by the way is
such an important market for Disney that besides giving it its own
version of “A Whole New World”
sung by local artists, they even
commissioned a music video for
fans to enjoy.
Darren and Morisette are certainly thrilled over the turn of
events and are certain this Disney
experience will open many more
doors for them, including the possibility of musical theater.
Asked if she ever imagines
performing at the West End and
Broadway someday, she replied,
“I grew up having a background
in theatre so why not right? I’m
enjoying where my career is right
now but if that kind of opportunity
comes along it would be hard to
look away.”
Darren is also open to the idea
but is more focused on his concert
tour for the moment. “I’d love to
experience theater maybe one day
in my career, of course, but for now,
I am very happy to be busy going
around to do my shows.”

ACTRESS Heart Evangelista
congratulated her husband Chiz
Escudero for winning the gubernatorial race in Sorsogon province.
In her Instagram account, Heart
wrote: “Congratulations to my
Governor Chiz Escudero! You’ve
worked in the senate for such a
long time, but now, it’s time for
you to concentrate in your beloved Sorsogon, the place which
you and your family have loved
for years.”
She added that she cannot wait
to see her husband’s plan come to
life in Sorsogon.
“For the past few months,
you’ve told me endlessly about Heart Evangeslita with husband elected Sorsogon Governor Francis “Chiz” Escudero
Photo from Instagram/@iamhearte
your plans for Sorsogon - developing their tourism, sports programs,
health programs, and agricultural
industry. I cannot wait to see your
visions come to life. Sorsogon,
it’s your time to shine!” Heart
wrote. ?
“My love, I’ll always be here
for you, cheering you on forever,”
she added.
Heart also documented the
proclamation of Chiz in her Instagram story, saying she has been a
fan of her husband since 2007.
Chiz was proclaimed winner in
the elections early Tuesday after
getting 303,960 votes against
rival Bladi Frivaldo, who only got
31,867 votes.
Aiko Melendez with elected Zambales Vice
Governor Jay Khonghun
Photo from Instagram/@aikomelendez

Likewise, actress and TV host
Alex Gonzaga celebrated the
victory of her boyfriend Mikee
Morada as new Lipa City, Batangas
councilor.
“Congrats my love. You are really meant to serve your kababayans. You have a good and pure
heart,” Alex told Mikee in her
Instagram story.
Meanwhile, Jay Khonghun,
boyfriend of actress Aiko Melendez, was also proclaimed the
newly elected vice governor of
Zambales.
“Sweetest victory for all of us!”
Aiko said on Instagram.
“Hardwork really paid off!!
Khonghun’s Might Ruled the Polls!
To God be the Glory!”

Julia: Solo act

by Chonx

TibaJia
Philstar.com

JuLIA Barretto is ready to stand
on her own as an actress.
Thirteen years an actor, Julia
Barretto — now 22 — was born
into celebrity and started following in the footsteps of her parents
at age 10. That gives her some
kinship with Hazel, the character
she plays in her latest film, “Between Maybes.”
In the Black Sheep production, she plays a famous actress
who escapes to Japan to regain
control over her life, which is not
an unlikely scenario in this day
and age, especially for someone
constantly in the spotlight. “I feel
like everybody goes through the
same thing at some point,” shares
Julia. “I definitely relate to my
character in so many ways. Maybe
just going through that phase in
your life when you want to escape
and try new things, find peace and
clarity. No matter how far we go,
though, we always end up going
back home.”
For quite some time now,
“home” for the young actress,
apart from her family, has been
JoshLia, her award-winning partnership — or, as we call it in here
on our shores, love team — with
actor Joshua Garcia. While some
might presume being paired up at
such a young age would be counterproductive, the opposite is true
for JoshLia, which has collectively
gained projects, not to mention a
legion of followers, as a tandem.
As Julia ventures into a new phase
of her career as a solo actress, she
reflects on the relationship and
the whole JoshLia phenomenon
with gratitude.
“It’s nice to get to share the
journey and watch both of our
dreams come true, be there for
each other and help each other
out. I’m grateful for that opportunity to just have somebody
to run to because you’re going
through the exact same thing
and same season in life… To have
somebody’s hand to hold.”
Then she’s quick to clarify:
“But it’s not like it’s gone!”
For “Between Maybes,” Julia
worked alongside Gerald Anderson, whose character she meets
and eventually falls in love with

in Japan. Julia shares, “It was
something that had been decided
on even before they went on with
the love team. It was met about,
it was talked about, and it was a
mutual decision to be open to do
solo films with other people. But
the love team remains. You go
out and do something, but you go
home to the same person and do
films again.”
The actress shares that filming
in Japan was one of the best experiences of her career. Working on
a movie, in the winter, on a Japanese island? Why wouldn’t it be?
The film was shot in idyllic Saga,
a city in Kyushu. If you’re following Julia’s Instagram, you’d know
by her photos that it’s a charming
little city, seemingly unaffected by
the trappings of modern life. It’s
the best place to escape to and
relearn a few things — for Julia,
it was a location free of distractions, which allowed her to focus
on work and herself.
“It was quiet. It was easier to
get things done. It was also winter; maybe that also made things
lighter. It got really cold, though
— but I’d rather be cold!” she says
with a laugh. “There was just so
much teamwork because we all
had to help each other, given that
we were only 20 people, compared to being in the Philippines
and working with a hundred-plus
people. I gained new friends and
a new family. It’s the best thing
that happened to me this year, so
far.” She adds, “Honestly I would
even consider going back to Saga,
to see it again.”
A new phase
Working on a movie outside of
JoshLia was a learning experience
for the actress. “There’s a world
out there that you should go and
explore. Get out of your comfort
zone. Take some risks. Have faith
in yourself,” she shares. “I think
I’m in a stage of reinvention. I am
constantly looking for change; at
the same time, I’m glad I am being
given these opportunities where I
could improve and better myself,
learn more about my craft. In trials, triumphs, success, you learn
so much.”
Part of this new outlook is a
renewed focus on herself, on selflove. “Just recently, I learned to
reprioritize my soul. I didn’t feel

In her latest film “Between Maybes,” Julia
Barretto plays a famous actress who escapes
to Japan to regain control over her life.
Philstar.com photo by Regina David

like that was important up until a
few months back. I think it’s really
important to surround yourself
with good people because you
feed off of their energy. People
around you mold you also, so you
have to be careful.”
As she enters a new phase in
her career, possibly opening new
doors to more solo projects, the
invigorated actress carries with
her a maturity that even she is surprised by. “I started out so young,”
she says. “I had no choice but to
mature so that I could understand
situations and find solutions to
them. At 22, you’re not supposed
to be worrying about so many
things, but I feel like I have goals
that I have achieved and then
goals just get added and added.
It just doesn’t stop. Your life can
change in a week, in a month,
and it’s crazy because I can’t
believe how much change can
happen in such a short time. So
my perspective on love, life and
work constantly changes. That’s
what’s scary — it keeps changing and then you keep having to
adjust and you keep surprising
yourself.”
With her entire career ahead of
her and as a self-confessed workaholic, the actress has no plans of
escaping from work anytime soon.
But if she did, where would she
go? “Maybe the ocean with one
friend,” she shares. That should
be enough for JoshLia fans to
rest assured that, no matter how
far her career takes her, there will
always be home.

(702) 792-6678 • http://www.asianjournal.com

Immigrant
Living: 101
and Beyond
MONETTE
ADEVA MAGLAYA
(Part1 of 3)
STORIES make up the fabric of
human life. Each life story is one
thread in this vast cosmic tapestry
of billions of stories all of humanity is weaving from one generation
to the next.
We are born in this world with
our own unique set of circumstances. We like to believe that
each of us is created for a purpose
wired into our DNA, like a GPS
directing us to a destination — a
state of being — whatever that
may be.
In the age old fairy tale of
“Sleeping Beauty,” Princess Aurora’s life was protected by Three
Good Fairies: Flora, Fauna and
Merryweather. They have gifted
her and her Prince Charming with
the weapons to fight off the evil of
the villainess, Maleficent.
In real life, from princes to paupers, most people like to think that
they too have been given gifts that
serve as shining weapons when
they do go through those dark
periods in every season of life. The
darkness can range from just being lonely and isolated for periods
of time to the more extreme and
detrimental negative emotions
that drive people to insanity or
worse, to suicide.
We want to have those weapons
to deal with those inner struggles

Health@Heart
PHILIP S. CHUA,
MD, FACS, FPCS
WEDNESDAY last week, while
waiting at O’Hare Airport in Chicago for our flight to Lake Charles,
Louisiana, to attend the graduation
of our granddaughter, Sydney,
my wife, Farida, and I saw a cute,
cheerful, very active toddler, who
reminded us fondly of our five
children and ten grandchildren at
that age. As a pediatrician, Farida
guessed the baby girl’s age correctly, as we overheard the father
telling a lady “16 months old.” Personally, I find them most enjoyable
and adorable between ages one to
three, and especially challenging at
age two: Terrible Two, when they
start to develop their personality
and love to say “no!,” asserting
their independence.
The stage I truly marvel at, even
today, is the initiation of life when
the sperm meets the ovum which
starts fertilization from one cell,
geometrically and progressively
dividing, eventually growing into
an embryo, then fetus. How a new
human being comes to life and
how DNA maps and guides the
entire process are amazing and
mind-boggling, to say the least. To
me, it is nothing short of a miracle.
The progress of the fetal development compounds the excitement
and interest. And the curiosity and
the queries abound.
What is the timeline of fetal
development?
The cells in the embryo begin
to organize themselves into the
fetus’s brain, face, eyes, ears,
and nose between the 4th and
5th week of pregnancy. The heart
starts to beat at about 22 days after
conception, but on the ultrasound,
the beating heart of the fetus is
seen in about 5 weeks from the last
menstrual period of the mother.
At 18 weeks, the baby begins to
hear, more sensitive at week 24
when the ears are developing
better. Between weeks 25th and
26th, it responds to voices and

COMMUNITY JOURNAL

Whatever happened to Calendar of Events
across
‘happily ever after’?
“...All the lonely people
Where do they all come from? All the
lonely people
Where do they all belong?...”
—Eleanor Rigby, Lennon-McCartney
in order to do battle with deep,
dark depression and fend off those
eerie voices that urge the afflicted
to inflict self-harm or even worse,
to kill others as well.
We would like to become courageous, even bold, as we come
out swinging with our blessed
swords slaying our dragons every
time they rear their ugly heads.
Until finally at the end of all earthly struggles, we become happy
and content as we stride off into
the sunset, victorious and fulfilled.
Well, there you have it. There’s
that happily-ever-after ending to
the life stories we seek.
Alas! How we wish most of
life’s stories end happily. These
days, instead of happily ever after
endings, we have sad stories, cautionary tales, even horror stories
to drive us out of our wits’ end.
It’s like being trapped in our seats,
strapped tight, in the Theatre of
the Macabre and watching grim
Tim Burton stories unfolding
onscreen on repeat mode.
What is causing all this dark-

ness, all this loneliness that seems
to affect so many people in the
world today? You scratch your
head and wonder who let those rabid monstrous creatures out from
the gates of hell? It seems the
gates are wide open, unleashing
all the evils that can be conjured
from a witch’s brew simmering in
a big black cauldron. All the evils
are unleashed from Pandora’s box
with just one thing left at the bottom of the box — HOPE.
There is an onslaught of overwhelming assaults that come in
all forms from just everywhere,
facilitated by the startling phenomenon of social media and
the ease of anything going viral
through the internet. This warped,
perverse world we live in today
seems to delight in mischief and
mayhem.
(Continued next week …)
***
Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is
SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc.
To send comments, e-mail monette.
maglaya@asianjournalinc.com

Miracle of life

noise in the womb. The baby at
this stage is able to hear music,
the mother’s breathing, motion,
stomach growls, and heart beat.
The outside sounds are muted by
half in the uterus, muffled by the
amniotic fluid (like shock absorber)
where the baby floats. Constant
exposure to loud noises could
cause hearing defect in the fetus.
The mother’s voice is the most
significant, familiar and soothing
sound the baby hears, which the
baby in the womb can recognize by
the third trimester (by 28th weeks).
Its heart beat increases when the
mother is speaking, showing their
awareness and alertness.
How large is the fetus at 25
week?
At 25 weeks (5 months and
one week) of gestation, the fetus
is about 13.1 inches (33.6 cm) tall
and 1.7 pounds (785 grams) in
weight. They already look like a
human being, a very tiny version of
a full term baby. Normal full term
delivery is 40 weeks (10 months).
Those born at 25 weeks are tiny
and fragile, but with modern neonatology care, most make it, but
some do not survive.
What are the items not to eat/
drink when pregnant?
Some of the foods/drinks to
minimize or, better yet, to avoid
during pregnancy, a vital and
truly delicate stage in the life of
a woman and her baby, include:
high-mercury contaminated fish
(swordfish, tune, especially albacore tuna, king mackerel, shark.
The US-FDA recommends 8-12
ounces of fish low in mercury,
like salmon, shrimp, cod, catfish,
tilapia, canned-light non-albacore
tuna. These fatty-fish is high in
omega-3 fatty acids, healthy, and
important to the growing fetus.
Soft drinks are toxic. To avoid
bacterial and parasitic infections
for herself and the baby, expectant mothers should totally avoid
undercooked or raw fish, raw meat,
raw eggs, raw sprouts, unwashed
produce, unpasteurized milk and
dairy products, processed meats
(hot dogs, ham, bacon, sausages),
and organ meats. Some of the in-

fections from any foods could lead
to premature or still birth. Caffeine
intakes should be less than 200
mg, about 2 cups a day. Of course,
smoking (cigarettes or e-Cigs)
and alcohol intake are absolutely
prohibited, since they increase the
risk for premature/still birth, lowbirth weight, mental deficiency,
increased risks for respiratory and
many other diseases.
Why the title of my book?
I have been asked countless
times why I chose to title my book
Let’s Stop “Killing” Our Children,
when in fact it is a home health
reference manual for healthy
lifestyle and disease prevention at
the cellular (DNA) level of children
and adults as well. It is a pre-emptive-proactive strategy for parents
to save their children, no matter
the age, from unhealthy habits
and behaviors and illnesses. It
has nothing to do with abortion or
murdering children. My rationale:
If we do not teach our children by
example (like parents who smoke,
drink alcoholic beverage beyond
one or two drinks a day, who do
not watch their diet and weight,
who do not exercise, and who allow their children to consume soft
drinks of any kind, which are literally toxic), are obviously exposing
their children to bad habits and
unhealthy behavior…thus contributing to, and increasing, their to
risk to develop diseases, shortened
life span and premature death. The
word “killing” (as in killing or pampering or spoiling children in the
name of love) is in quotation marks
as a metaphor. Children are best
nurtured with wisdom-guided love
and care. Parents and guardians
not positively contributing to their
children’s health by default are
certainly shortening their potential
longevity. (Reference available at
philipSchua.com, amazon.com,
and at central.com.ph)
How should society manage
population growth?
The total world population is
more than 7.7 billion and the global
population clock is continuously
ticking (about 200,000 growth
PAGE 14

Caesars Entertainment named One
of ‘100 Best Corporate Citizens’ of 2019
Corporate Responsibility Magazine Recognizes Caesars’
Leadership in Social and Environmental Responsibility
LAS VEGAS — Caesars Entertainment Corporation, one
of the world’s most diversified
casino-entertainment providers,
announced its been named to
Corporate Responsibility (CR)
Magazine’s coveted “100 Best
Corporate Citizens” list for 2019.
Evaluated against the companies
of the Russell 1000 Index, Caesars
ranked No. 72 and was selected
based on its standout environmental, social and governance
(ESG) performance among public
companies in the United States.
Caesars’ industry leadership
was particularly commended in
the environmental categories of
the “100 Best Corporate Citizens”
evaluation. It ranked No. 15 on
Environment and No. 4 on Climate
Change—two pillars that make up
more than one-third of the evaluation criteria. These distinctions
exemplify Caesars’ continued
commitment to environmental
sustainability progress, including
its bold science-based targets to
drastically reduce greenhouse

LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • MAY 16-22, 2019

gas emissions from the company
and throughout its supply chain.
Caesars’ goal is to reduce absolute
Scope 1 and 2 emissions 30% by
2025 and 95% by 2050 from a
2011 baseline, and it set a Scope
3 target to have 60% of suppliers
commit to their own sciencebased targets by 2023.
“Caesars Entertainment is
committed to leading the way as
we build a responsible business
culture staked in supporting the
wellbeing of people and our communities and acting as steadfast
stewards of the environment,”
said Jan Jones Blackhurst, Executive Vice President, Public Policy
& Corporate Responsibility at Caesars Entertainment. “Through our
PEOPLE PLANET PLAY corporate
responsibility framework, we dedicate attention and resources to
each of our mission areas to create
the industry-leading impact that
has earned us the prestigious distinction as one of CR Magazine’s
top corporate citizens.”
Caesars created the PEOPLE

PLANET PLAY framework to guide
its corporate responsibility initiatives. The framework contains 11
corporate responsibility priorities
representing the company’s most
important business impacts on
people, the community, society
and the environment. Caesars
sets goals within each of these
11 priorities to help strengthen
its overall corporate responsibility
impact and contribution.
CR Magazine’s “100 Best Corporate Citizens” list ranks companies in the Russell 1000 Index and
documents 260 ESG data points
of disclosure and performance
measures. Data is gathered from
publicly available information in
seven categories: environment,
climate change, employee relations, human rights, governance,
finance and stakeholders and
society.
To learn more about Caesars’
corporate social responsibility
visit https://www.caesars.com/
corporate/corporate-social-responsibility.

Santa Maria Ilocos Sur 12th Global Reunion in Honolulu, Hawaii
The Santa Maria Ilocos Sur Global Association (SMISGA) and the Santa Marians of Hawaii
are sponsoring the Santa Maria Ilocos Sur 12th Global Reunion in Honolulu, Hawaii from May
17-19, 2019. The festivities will start with a meet and greet on May 17 at 5 p.m. at the Ala
Moana Hotel Hibiscus Ballroom to be followed by a gala night on May 18 at 5 p.m. at the
Dole Cannery Pomaikai Ballroom. A picnic is also scheduled at Ala Moana Beach Park’s Magic
Island on Sunday, May 19 starting at 10 a.m. The ticket to attend all the events is $130.00 per
person. Due to limited space, reservations must be made not later than March 31, 2019. Hats
and t-shirts will also be on sale for $20. For further information, call Nena Empleo at (808)
384-0394, Carlito Soria at (808) 487-3370, Alex Pena at (702) 373-9522 or Orlino Baldonado
at (865) 789-8324. Leave a message if there’s no answer. Additional information is also on
SMISGA.com and Facebook @ SMISGA19FB. Proceeds from the events will be for various
projects in Santa Maria Ilocos Sur and in Hawaii. Donations are tax deductible since SMISGA
is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization approved by the Internal Revenue Service.

M AY 1 8

Free oil ﬁlter & motor oil recycling event in East Los Angeles
ATTENTION ALL EAST LA RESIDENTS – Everyone is invited to bring in their used motor
oil and used oil filters in exchange for a free new oil filter on Saturday, May 18 from 10 a.m. to
2 p.m. It will be held at O’Reilly Auto Parts (722 S. Atlantic Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90022). Recycling motor oil and filters helps save our environment and keeps our water clean. So, don’t
miss out – we’re making it easier for you to keep your car running smoothly and efficiently.

Bulacan high schools reunite in Rosemead, CA
The 2019 Global Gathering of Marcelo H. Del Pilar High School (MHPHS) of Malolos, Bulacan will be held on May 25-26, 2019 at the Double Tree Hotel in Rosemead, CA. For further
information, please contact any of the following: Lourdes Ople-Smith at lourdesosmith@gmail.
com / (310) 662-1948; Charito Aldaba-Gabriel at chato_gabriel1019@yahoo.com / (818) 6536047; Leni Flor Cruz-Florentino at lenflorcruz529@yahoo.com / (818) 282-0928; Tristan Zafra
at tristan@trisoftco.com / (714) 686-3345; Gerry Torres, Jr. at gerrytorres50@gmail.com / (213)
249-1633; and Perfecto T. Martin at perfecto.martin@gmail.com.

JUNE 1

7th Historic Filipinotown Kalayaan Parade and Festival in LA
The 7th Historic Filipinotown Kalayaan Parade and Festival Committee (7KPFC) announced
that it will holding the 7th Kalayaan Parade in Los Angeles on Saturday, June 1, 2019 in commemoration of the 121st PH Independence Day on June 12, 1898. This will be the 7th Kalayaan
Parade and Festival in Historic Filipinotown, as the first was held in 2013 in cooperation with the
PH Consulate General in Los Angeles. This is the only Independence Day parade and Festival
in Los Angeles and is held every year in Historic Filipinotown. For more information, please call
Freddie at (818) 220-2075 or email at jfavusa8@gmail.com.

Kalayaan Incorporated’s annual Philippine Independence Day gala in LA
Kalayaan Incorporated invites the community to its celebration of the 121st Anniversary of
the Proclamation of Philippine Independence on Saturday, June 1, 2019, at the Los Angeles
Airport Marriott Hotel (5855 W. Century Blvd. Los Angeles, CA). Kalayaan is extremely proud to
have Honorable Risa Hontiveros, an incumbent senator who assumed office on June 30, 2016,
as the grand gala’s guest of honor and speaker. For tickets to the Gala Night, please contact
Annie Cuevas-Lim, Kalayaan President at (213) 447-7078. For more information, contact KI
PROs Violet Mislang at vmislang@gmail.com or Lady Hope Robillos at lhopepr@yahoo.com.

40th annual Philippine Nurses Association of America National
Convention in Atlanta, GA
The Philippine Nurses Association of America (PNAA) will have its 40th annual national
convention from July 24 to 28 at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis in Atlanta, GA, hosted by the
PNA-GA chapter. More information and details TBA. To learn about the PNA-GA, please visit:
https://pnaga.wildapricot.org/.

AU G U ST 1 - 9

University of the Philippines Nursing Alumni Association
International Convention & Alaskan Cruise
The University of the Philippines Nursing Alumni Association International, Inc. (UPNAAI)
will have its 40th convention on a cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas. The
theme will be “In the New Millennium - UPNAAI at 40: Evolving and Emerging Nursing Roles.”
On Aug. 1. it will be UPNAAI Volunteers Service Day in Seattle, then 2-9 will be a cruise from
Seattle, Juneau, Skagway, Endicott Arm & Dawes, Victoria, and back to Seattle. Convention Fee
$100 for Alumni in addition to cruise pricing. No convention charge for friends and family members. Contact Hours will be provided for the educational conference. For more information/to
register and view cruise rates, please visit https://www.upnaai.com/.

AU G U ST 3 - 4

Travel, Trade & Consumer Expo in Carson, CA
The second annual Travel, Trade & Consumer Expo is back on Saturday, August 3 and Sunday, August 4 at the SouthBay Pavilion in Carson, CA. The two-day event is Southern California’s largest B2B expo showcasing tourism, trade, and investment opportunities in the USA and
Philippines. It will feature networking opportunities for business-to-business, business-to-government, and business-to-consumer. The event is powered by the Asian Journal and Balikbayan
Magazine. For more information, please visit https://traveltradeconsumer.com/.

If you have an upcoming event and would like us to post it, please email us the
details at info@asianjournalinc.com or calendar@asianjournalinc.com

12

May 16-22, 2019 • LaS VEGaS aSIaN JOURNaL

PeoPle and events

http://www.asianjournal.com • (702) 792-6678

Philippine National Bank opens its new Los Angeles office
The right place at the right time
bodes good things for the right endeavor. PNB puts itself right smack
dab in the heart of the Filipino
American community.
This is wonderful news. It is,
by and large, a terrific calculated
business move to be closer and
be accessible to the people that
PNB serves.
PNB’s office is now located at
3435 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite
104, at the foot traffic level of
the equitable Plaza Building in Los
Angeles, California 90010.
Why is this a great move? It
is the same building where the
Philippine Consulate holds office.
If things pan out in due time, an
office for the Philippine Social
Security Administration will likely
be in the same location. And about
time too.
Those who regularly remit to
family and friends in the Philippines and who live and work in
the neighborhood will find it easier
to go to this location once it is set
up to do so. Its accessibility to the
consulate makes required documentation for business, travel and
other matters more convenient.
The move is also brilliant and
propitious. The economy is on the
uptick in both the U.S. and the
Philippines. It is a trend worth noting particularly for those mulling
the possibilities ofstraddling both
countries — of enjoying their lives
living part of their retirement years
in America and part of the time in
the Philippines.
Philippine real estate developers know that Filipino Americans

In attendance were The BIG GUNS for PNB from the head office in the Philippines and the
U.S.-based PNB RCI. From L to R: Nelson V. Javier, newly appointed CEO and President
of PNB Remittance Centers, Inc.; Atty. Erwin Go; EVP Bernie Tocmo, Head of PNB’s Retail
Banking Sector; Atty. Manny Bahena, PNB’s Chief Legal Counsel, and Ms. Edith Manalad,
First Vice President and General Manager of PNB-Los Angeles Branch.
AJPress photos by Noel Ty

comes into play.
With its unique OPhL program
(Own a Philippine home Loan)
which they have been offering efficiently and effectively to many U.S.
expatriates for decades now can
and do provide this financing.
The timing is close to perfect. A
cursory look at the mushrooming
vertical and horizontal developments found in the Philippine
metropolis and other parts of the
country indicate increasing confidence among consumers looking
to buy Philippine property.
There is positive indication of a
significant segment right here in
the Greater Los Angeles County
that is in a position to buy property
through their savings, pensions,
income from social security or sizable nest eggs. These are serious
buyers who are looking to secure
loans to flesh out their dreams of
owning a home or perhaps, even
add to their investment portfolio.
PNB Los Angeles Branch, headed by its First VP and General
Manager edith Manalad, officially
opened its doors at this new office
on April 29, 2019. Its blessing,
The Management and Staff of PNB at their new office on Wilshire Boulevard. They are now grand opening and inauguration
ready to serve the Filipino American community with their remittances and more specially, was held the following day with a
walk a Philippine property buyer through the process of the OPHL (Own a Philippine Home good number of friends and assoLoan) program.
PAGE 14

EMPLOYMENT

who have worked practically all
their lives are having more of the
resources and the wherewithal in
the current bullish economy, to
buy property in the Philippines
and would need readily available
financing. This is where PNB

EMPLOYMENT

FOR RENT

LAS VeGAS — Since 1999,
with the help of McDonald’s
and community partners, Ronald McDonald house Charities
(RMhC) of Greater Las Vegas
has awarded more than $4.3 million in scholarships to students
from Clark and Nye Counties in
Nevada. For the 2019 season, the
Scholarship Program will award
$182,500 to 135 high school
graduates and $79,000 to 79
returning college students.
erica Bonilla, a former RMhC
Scholarship recipient and current
RMhC Scholarship Ambassador
shared, “Being a part of RMhC’s
Scholarship Program has really given me a drive to continue
pushing my boundaries when it
comes to my education and my
career path!”
Bonilla is a student at the University of Nevada Las Vegas and
is a 1st generation American as
her parents came to the United
States from el Salvador. her favorite part of being a Scholarship
Ambassador is meeting students
and being able to educate them

about the scholarship opportunities RMhC provides and how
easy the process is.
“One of the most remarkable
things about the Ronald McDonald Scholarship Program is that
RMhC focuses on students with
amazing potential who might not
otherwise have the opportunity to
go to college if it weren’t for this
scholarship opportunity,” said
Alyson McCarthy, CeO of RMhC
of Greater Las Vegas.
Believing that every child
deserves a comfortable and
supportive place to grow, Ronald McDonald house Charities

(RMhC) of Greater Las Vegas
creates and supports programs
that directly improve the health,
education and well-being of
children in our community. We
fulfill our mission by providing
a home-away-from-home at the
Ronald McDonald house for
families who travel to Las Vegas to receive critical medical
treatment for their children, and
manage programs that service
the immediate needs of children
and families in our community.
For more information on RMhC
of Greater Las Vegas, visit www.
rmhlv.org.

BON APPETIT GRAND TASTING. Legendary chefs gathered at the 13th annual Vegas Uncork’d by Bon Appetit Grand Tasting at the Caesars
Palace on Friday, May 10 in Las Vegas. Guy Fierri, Steve Martorano, Giada De Laurentiis along with Guy Savoy and Nobu Matsuhisa were all
smiles during the successful evening.
Photos by Raoul Gatchalian

SERVICES

FEATURES

(702) 792-6678 â&#x20AC;˘ http://www.asianjournal.com

LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL â&#x20AC;˘ MAY 16-22, 2019

13

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Yellow Roseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;: An honest, visceral exploration
on the complicated definition of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Americanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;
by KLARIZE

Filipina American Diane Paragasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; coming-of-age immigration drama
awarded Grand Jury Prize at three film festivals in a row

MEDENILLA
AJPress

THE much-anticipated feature
film â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yellow Roseâ&#x20AC;? by Filipina
American filmmaker Diane Paragas premiered at the opening
night of the 35th annual Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
(LAAPFF) on Thursday, May 2.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yellow Roseâ&#x20AC;? takes place in
East Texas and tells the story
of a 17-year-old Filipina named
Rose (masterfully played by twotime Tony Award-nominated Eva
Noblezada in her feature film
debut) who struggles with her
identity as her mother Priscilla
(Princess Punzalan) is detained
by immigration officials.
Throughout the film, Rose is
tasked with finding a safe place to
stay (at one point she stays with
her estranged Tita Gail, played

Noblezada as Rose and Liam Booth as love interest Elliot.

ness her inherent musical talent
to see her dreams of becoming
a country music star realized.
She meets people along the way
who see her potential, including
country star Dale Watson who
helps propel Rose as a songwriter
and performer.
There are fewer things more
American than country music
which makes the genre a fitting
backdrop for the story of Rose,
who, for all intents and purposes
is as American as they come.
She speaks with an East Texas
twang. She wears bootcut blue
jeans and cowboy boots. She
idolizes Loretta Lynn and Dolly
Parton and writes songs that are
reminiscent of the country genre
of yore a la Lynn and Parton.
(The film features original songs
written by Noblezada, Paragas
and Watson.)
Spiritually Rose is American,
but not on paper, an experience
shared by so many undocumented youth who know no other
country and culture than the one
they were brought to. Paragas
â&#x20AC;&#x201D; who grew up in Lubbock,
Texas â&#x20AC;&#x201D; said that country music
was always meant to be the emblem of the film, a subversion of
what popular music is within the
Filipino community.
The politicization of films
today in the age of Trump has
become ubiquitous, and oftentimes it fails to effectively capture
the human element on a granular
level. But Paragasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; film successfully takes the topical issue of
Photo courtesy of Diane Paragas
immigration and turns it into a

by Lea Salonga) while avoiding
ICE so that she can stay in the
only country she has ever called
home.
All the while, Rose is figuring
out who she is and she can har-

Princess Punzalan plays Roseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mother, Priscilla.

Director Diane Paragas on the set of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yellow Rose.â&#x20AC;?

coming-of-age story that feels
relevant but not preachy. Taking
the undocumented experience
on a granular level affords the
story to feel multipurpose that
resonates with anyone who has
ever felt they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t belong in
certain spaces.
In the age where thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a
louder call for narrative and casting representation in the stories
we see on screen, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yellow Roseâ&#x20AC;?
serves an important role in that
shift.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yellow Roseâ&#x20AC;? is a reminder
for Filipino Americans who may
or may not have been born in the
Philippines but grew up in the
United States that they are seen,
that they are heard and that their
dreams matter just as much as
anyone elseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s.
Everything about Rose is subversive to multiple facets of not
only American culture, but popular Filipino and Filipino American
culture. In a song she writes in
the movie, the opening lines
â&#x20AC;&#x153;square peg, round holeâ&#x20AC;? emulate
feelings of isolation that extend
even beyond the undocumented
community, viscerally portrayed
by Noblezada who delivered a
stunning performance throughout the film.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;[Noblezada] has a very cinematic way of acting thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so
subtle that it works so well for
film. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an incredible thing to
see in someone who has never
acted in a feature film before,â&#x20AC;?
Salonga told the Asian Journal in

Photos courtesy of August Thurmer

Noblezada as Rose and Lea Salonga, who plays Tita Gail.

a recent interview. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s often not
easy to see actors be able to shift
their styles from stage to screen
so seamlessly, but Evaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s acting
works well for both. She was a
treat to work with.â&#x20AC;?
Salonga pointed out that Rose
as a disciple of country music
contrasts the popular music
trends within the Filipino and
Filipino American communities
who lean more towards hip-hop,
pop and R&B genres, noting that
country music â&#x20AC;&#x153;comes from left
field, but in the most wonderful
way.â&#x20AC;?
Currently, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yellow Roseâ&#x20AC;? is on
a very successful festival circuit,
which puts it in prime position for
wider release and distribution. At
the LAAPFF, it won the Grand
Jury Prize on May 10, and on May
11 and 12, it won the Grand Jury
Prize at the Bentonville Film Festival in Arkansas (actress Geena
Davisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; film festival that focuses

on inclusion in Hollywood) and
the Center for Asian American
Media Festival (CAAM) in San
Francisco, respectively.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Being a filmmaker is like being a parent. You gestate it. You
raise money for it. You love it and
you think â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;God, I just wish the
world would love my baby.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; And
sometimes they do and sometimes they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t,â&#x20AC;? Paragas said
after her three wins. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So those
filmmakers out there who think
â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to think my babyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ugly. Nobodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to like
itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t matter. You made a
baby and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beautiful, and it has
a place in this world.â&#x20AC;?
â&#x20AC;&#x153;It didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel like just my moment. It felt like a Filipino moment. Getting not one, not two,
but three standing ovations was
crazy! Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m so happy and I do hope
it helps get this movie out in a big
way in America and across the
world,â&#x20AC;? Paragas added.

SHOWING once more that their
beauty is more than skin deep, the
two Filipina Miss Universe winners of the decade will take part
in a benefit gala that brings the
philosophy of women empowerment and the indomitable Filipino
spirit to the fore.
Dubbed â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Universe Gives
Back,â&#x20AC;? the much-awaited event
brings together two confidently
beautiful women â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Miss Universe
2015 Pia Wurtzbach and current
Miss Universe Catriona Gray â&#x20AC;&#x201D; on
a mission to celebrate and uplift
the Filipino spirit through fashion
and philanthropy.
The Miss Universe Philippines
and Binibining Pilipinas Charity
Fashion Gala is spearheaded by
co-chairpersons Miss Universe
2015 Pia Wurtzbach, architect
Richelle Singson-Michael and
fashion designer Albert Andrada
to bring the brand to a higher level
than a one-day television special.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is the start of having the
Miss Universe brand become
more active in the Philippines.
Since the time that we hosted the
pageant in 2016, and that we also
have produced two beautiful Miss
Universes recently, Miss Universe
love the Philippines so much that
they would like to create more
events like this charity gala,â&#x20AC;?
Singson-Michael said in a press
conference.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;We plan to do this every year,
and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be showcasing something new every edition. For this
year we focus on fashion, next year
maybe on the arts or entertainment,â&#x20AC;? she enthused.
The gala, to be held on June 4
at the Marriott Grand Ballroom,
showcases the talents of eight top
Filipino designers â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Andrada,
Rhett Eala, Michael Leyva, Ito
Curata, Jot Losa, Avel Bacudio,
Cherry Veric and Martin Bautista
â&#x20AC;&#x201D; who will be creating five pieces
each modeled by 2019 Bb. Pilipinas candidates.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;The eight Filipino fashion
designers featured are going to
showcase evening gowns in their
assigned colors. Also, each designer is tasked to dress five candidates during the runway walk.
Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a very significant thing for us
because Binibining Pilipinas has
really opened the doors for Filipino
designers and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re very happy
about that,â&#x20AC;? shared Andrada.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;For the past 25 years, Binibi-

ning Pilipinas candidates have
been dressed up by international
designers or non-Filipino designers. At least through this, we have
exposed our craft to the international stage and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m so happy
and so proud that we did it in this
kind,â&#x20AC;? he added.
The two Miss Universe queens
will participate as their way of
showing their support to their
chosen foundations.
Pia for Love Yourself
Wurtzbach supports Love Yourself, an organization of almost
1,100 volunteers who reach out
through channels such as social
media to propagate ideas, attitudes, and practices to encourage
self-love and equality and the
spread of vital health information
particularly among the LGBTQI+
community on issues such as
HIV.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;For this charity gala, I chose to
partner again with Love Yourself.
Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been partnering with them for
a few years now and it just felt like
a natural thing to do. We promote
awareness not just for HIV but also
for equality, self worth and mental
health even during my days as
Binibini,â&#x20AC;? Wurtzbach recalled.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really close to home as I
have friends who are in the LGBT
community and friends who are
living with HIV. We started with a
simple outreach program and now

we have six community centers
â&#x20AC;&#x201D; five in the National Capital Region and one in Cebu. We provide
free HIV testing to almost 50,000
people every year. Currently, we
cater to 3,800 clients accessing
free treatments for HIV and I
am very happy to share that our
treatment center is the first in the
country offering free viral load
tests. The test tells the client if the
virus is going into an undetectable
state, meaning he or she cannot
transmit the infection to others
because undetectable means untransmittable,â&#x20AC;? she noted.
Wurtzbach also happily shared
that her home city of Cagayan de
Oro will have its own community
center as well to be launched in
July. It will be called Oro Pia
Community Center which she will
inaugurate soon.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Since 2011, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been providing a safe space for everyone who
is living with HIV. We have over a
thousand volunteers now. Our plan
is whatever support we provide,
it would be sustainable because
we do not believe in dole out and
one-time things lang. Gusto natin
the project lives on even after
the event. We plan to support
treatment hubs and empowering
campaigns continuously,â&#x20AC;? she
continued.
According to her, aside from
PAGE 14

CAN two individuals fall in love
in a day? Does destiny exist?
These are some of the questions put forth by “The Sun is
Also a Star,” an upcoming movie
based on the young adult novel of
the same name by #1 New York
Times Bestselling Author Nicola
Yoon.
The story revolves around
Natasha Kingsley (Yara Shahidi,
“Grown-ish”), a Jamaican-born,
aspiring physicist who considers
New York her home. On the day
before she and her family are
to be deported, she catches the
attention of Korean American
Daniel Bae (Charles Melton,
“Riverdale”), a hopeless romantic
and poet who poses the question:
“What if I told you that I could get
you to fall in love with me? Just
give me a day.”
In their hours together, Natasha and Daniel weave through different New York neighborhoods
and instantly fall in love as told
through a dreamy narrative under
the direction of Ry Russo-Young
and cinematography by Autumn
Durald Arkapaw.
Though centered on a teenage
couple, the film tackles themes
— from immigration to living up
to family’s expectations to the
second-generation American
experience — that will resonate
beyond any age or racial group.
With deportation such a hot topic
today, “The Sun is Also a Star”
takes a look at how communities
that we don’t normally see in the
media are affected by this issue.
Ahead of the release of “The
Sun is Also a Star” on May 17, we
spoke to Yoon and Melton, as well
as Jake Choi (who plays Daniel’s
older brother Charlie), during
their stop in San Francisco about
telling multi-layered immigrant
stories and Asian American visibility.
Asian Journal (AJ): Nicola,
congratulations on your book
being turned into a movie. What
was it like seeing your writing come to life on screen and
Charles and Jake embodying
the characters [of Daniel and
Charlie]?
Nicola Yoon (NY): The word
I always use is surreal because

“The Sun is Also a Star” author Nicola Yoon and Jake Choi, who plays Charlie Bae in the film
version.
AJPress photos by Christina M. Oriel

Charles Melton, Nicola Yoon and Jake Choi during press interviews for “The Sun is Also a Star”
in San Francisco on Wednesday, May 8.

it just is. When you’re writing,
you’re in your room by yourself
and writing by hand…it’s miserable sometimes... and you eventually revise it and it goes into
the world. You get super lucky
by getting something like this
to happen to you. I feel like I’m
walking on clouds.
AJ: Charles, this is your first
major film and you’re the star.
What was the process of getting
into Daniel’s character and to
play someone also of Korean descent? The first moment we see
Daniel on screen, he’s speaking
Korean.
Charles Melton (CM): I’m very
honored to be part of the story
and to tell a story where a lot of
people are not aware of the Asian
and Korean culture. Correct me if
I’m wrong, Nicola, but that poem
that I’m saying at the beginning,
David [Yoon, Nicola’s husband]
wrote it….There’s a unique thing
that people aren’t aware of with

the Korean language — it’s a very
poetic language. Writing something in English, when translated
into Korean, is completely different. Like any other language,
this is all universal. The translator
said it was the hardest thing for
her ever to translate via text from
English into Korean, and that’s
what you hear at the beginning of
the film: may each day be today,
may each day never end, but if it
does, may it dawn into today.
For the character...I really lived
in his shoes and it was something
that inspired me as a human being, as a version of myself that I
portrayed. To really let go as an
actor is a dream.
AJ: Daniel’s older brother
Charlie is an interesting character during the moments he’s on
screen. It’s relatable for many
Asian Americans to try to be
more “Americanized” and we
see that with Charlie going by
his American name and hiding

Pia, Catriona lead ‘The Universe Gives...

PAGE 13
helping Love Yourself centers,
they also plan to give part of the
proceeds to support the treatment
hubs of San Lazaro Hospital and
Research Institute for Tropical
Medicine (RITM).
“Somebody called my attention
that there’s really a lot of help that
needs to be done in San Lazaro
and RITM. Because those two are
the highest in terms of enrollees.
RITM has around 8,000 clients
on treatment and San Lazaro has
6,000 on treatment. People really
line up there but sometimes they
don’t have money for medication,”
Wurtzbach said.
Catriona for Young Focus
Meanwhile, Gray is to grace the
catwalk on behalf of Young Focus,
which focuses on educating underprivileged children all the way
from preschool to college, with the
firm belief that education is the
most effective way to end poverty
in a child’s life.
Young Focus has different programs that meets the many needs
children experience in poverty,
with approaches that depend on

their age, their history, their capabilities and the scope of the
family’s needs.
“Young Focus is a non-profit
organization located in Smokey
Mountain in Tondo, Manila and
we’re currently helping more
than a thousand children. We’re
supporting their education by
means of personal coaching and
holistic approach,” shared Young
Focus’ Wabel Animosa during the
media event.
“We’re very thankful for Catriona because since nanalo siya,
we’ve been put into map and we’ve
been receiving a lot of donations
and we’re very thankful to Miss
Universe as well because they are
still supporting us and they’ve chosen us as one of the beneficiaries,”
she continued.
“What we will do is to continue
to support the education of the
children especially for the outof-school youth. This past school
year, we were able to have 17
college graduates and 65 Grade
12 students moving up to college.
That’s a big number of college
students kaya we will be also us-

ing the money we’ll get from this
endeavor for that. Of course, this
coming school year, we’re very
excited for new students coming to
our centers,” Animosa said.
For the country and community
As someone who was able to
bring her best on the Miss Universe stage and make Filipinos all
over the world proud, Wurtzbach
said that being a beauty queen is
about giving back to her country
and her community.
“It is about getting involved in
organizations to raise awareness
for issues such as HIV, anti-discrimination, and anti-bullying
which are relevant to the Philippines,” the beauty queen said.
“I am most proud of the fact
that Filipinos are compassionate
people. We care about the people
around us and we’re always willing to help. To our loved ones, we
are selfless in the amount of love
we give. I’d like to believe that’s
what we’ll see at the charity ball
— people coming together showing support to the ones who need
our love most,” she ended.

his Korean heritage.
Jake Choi (JC): Charlie has a lot
of self-hate and it comes from a lot
of things — from being ridiculed
about being Asian…to his immigrant parents being very passive
and putting their head down and
not standing up for themselves
when there are people who antagonize them for being Asian. What
it does instead of you embracing
your Asian identity with pride, you
push it away.
CM: To feed off of what you’re
saying, in the book, which we’ve
read and done our work in, there’s
a scene when Charlie and Daniel are around 7 and 8 years
old and Daniel is hanging out
with his white friends. There’s
a moment when I was reading it
when it really painted a picture
of the relationship because...my
character goes up to Charlie and
starts speaking Korean and calls
him ‘hyeong.’ There’s this disconnect because the white kids are
wondering ‘what is he saying?’
because they were unfamiliar
with the culture. Charlie is embarrassed because he has this facade
with his friends.
JC: ‘Hyeong’ means older
brother in Korean so I think just
his younger brother coming up to
him and saying something that’s
very organic for him is very embarrassing. But the thing is, in the
book and the script, he pushes his
Korean culture away but interesting for me and my character work
was, he’s actually pretty fluent
in Korean for the movie but he
chooses not to speak it. You’ll
see that he is fluent during a very
explosive scene between Charlie
and Daniel.
AJ: What was it like punching each other during that one
heated scene?
JC: [laughs] It was so much fun.
I wish we could have done that for
a couple more days. We’re both
former athletes so anything active
and physical is always fun, but of
course in a very safe environment.
That was a really, really fulfilling,
draining, emotionally satisfying
scene to film.
CM: It doesn’t matter how
much you rehearse. When you get
to the set and when it comes game
time, things are going to be different…One thing that’s very vital as
an actor is trust. You can be unfa-

miliar, but if you trust, there’s this
openness and being present. We
had that in this scene. After each
take, we were just hugging each
other and saying, ‘I love you’ and
‘I trust you.’ It was just beautiful
and organic and it was a lot of fun
filming that scene.
JC: And you know how I know
it was great after every take? Ry,
the director, would come up and
she had tears in her eyes. Not
just a tear, but actual tears in her
eyes that you could see coming
down.
AJ: “The Sun is Also a Star”
book is catered toward young
adults and Charles and Yara are
icons in teenage pop culture at
the moment. A lot of themes and
topics in the book and movie are
so heavy and relevant to what’s
happening politically today.
What kinds of conversations do
you want families to have when
they’re watching the movie?
NY: A couple of things — just
an openness to the world. I believe that we’re not so different.
The person across the way that
doesn’t look like you and doesn’t
share your language or religion,
they’re the same. The differences
are fine but they don’t make a
difference. If we could take that,
that would be awesome. If we
could look at immigrants as being
people just like any other citizen,
that would also be lovely. Also,
love is all there is.
JC: There are very demeaning,
dehumanizing stereotypes attached to black women and Asian
men. Casting a black woman and
an Asian man to be the leads and
love interests, who are very well
fleshed out, will help to sort of
eradicate those. It’s not going
to happen overnight, but I think
that would be my takeaway for

someone who has these subconscious biases to say, ‘okay, they
are human too.’
CM: It’s amazing to do what
we do as artists. For example,
reading Nicola’s book, I’m Daniel
and I’m Charlie or I’m Natasha
in ways. As an actor, it’s great
to escape in a movie theater and
watch and say, ‘that could be me.’
Our first sense is sight so to see
someone who may look like us is
humbling, and it’s an honor to be
a part of this.
AJ: This past year alone,
we’ve seen more Asian representation, whether it was
“Crazy Rich Asians” or “To All
the Boys I’ve Loved Before.”
How can the Asian American
community and viewers come
out and support and make this
another box office hit?
JC: Spend your money, buy
the tickets and spread it by word
of mouth. We know the movie is
great and trust that. When you
have a good product, you gotta
share it.
NY: It’s a great love story and
we get to see people we don’t
always see on screen. I’m all for
super cute Asian boys in everything [laughs].
CM: It’s an aspirational love
story with so many timely and
universal themes that I feel like
no matter where you are in the
world or where you may be with
your own ideas of love or what
race you are, you can walk away
finding a part of your story in this
film, which is done so well.
Warner Bros.’ “The Sun Is Also
a Star,” lands in theaters nationwide May 17, 2019. This film has
been rated PG-13 for some suggestive content and language.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Mariel Rodriguez announces
baby no. 2 with Robin Padilla
by Jan

MilO severO
Philstar.com

HOST Mariel Rodriguez announced that she
is pregnant with her second baby with husband
Robin Padilla.
During the Mother’s Day special of her noontime
show, “It’s Showtime,” Mariel recounted her journey
to motherhood, saying she thought Mother’s Day
back then was just an ordinary day.
“A few years ago, kapag Mother’s Day, akala ko
isa siyang ordinaryong araw. And kasama ko kayo
madlang pipol sa journey ko. From heartbreaking
losses until finally I had my baby girl, my Isabella.
Doon ko po nalaman na iba po talaga ang hirap at
ang saya ng pagiging isang ina,” Mariel said.
She also took the opportunity to announce that
she and Robin are happy that she is pregnant
again.
“Today, I am so happy to share with all of you
isang espesyal na balita na nalaman namin ng asawa
ko a few months ago. Si Isabella ay magiging ate
na. I am three months pregnant with baby number
two,” Mariel said.
“Ngayon pa lang, gusto ko talagang magpasalamat sa inyong lahat na alam ko kasama ko po
kayong magdadasal, magmamahalan sa suporta,”
she added.
Mariel also posted on her Instagram a photo of
her showing her baby bump while wearing a yel-

Mariel Rodriguez

Photo from Instagram/@marieltpadilla

low dress.
“The perfect Mother’s Day gift. Hello baby #2,”
she captioned the photo.
After Mariel previously suffered miscarriage, she
and Robin welcomed their first baby in 2016.

Philippine National Bank opens its new...

Catriona Gray

PAGE 11

Photo from Instagram/@catriona_gray

Miracle of life

a day) as new births and deaths
are officially counted. If society
wants to manage global (or even
domestic) population growth for
the survival of the human species,
it is certainly wiser and more compassionate to achieve the goal by
avoiding pregnancy and providing
excellent environment and healthcare for all people, especially for
children and our senior population.
Not by ethnic cleansing, murder,
or any form of termination of

life. The most important tenet in
the Hippocratic Oath we took as
physicians is Primum non nocere,
a Latin phrase meaning, “First, to
do no harm,” a sacred, solemn,
and poignant promise healers
thousands of years ago and today
have made. If we are unable to do
anything to help a fellowman or
any living creature, the least we
can do, as healthcare providers, or
even as ordinary people anywhere
in the world with integrity and
compassion, is to respect life and

do no harm.
***
Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, Cardiac
Surgeon Emeritus in Northwest Indiana and
chairman of cardiac surgery from 1997 to 2010
at Cebu Doctors University Hospital, where he
holds the title of Physician Emeritus in Surgery,
is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is a Fellow of
the American College of Surgeons, the Philippine
College of Surgeons, and the Denton A. Cooley
Cardiovascular Surgical Society. He is the
chairman of the Filipino United Network – USA, a
501(c)(3) humanitarian foundation in the United
States. Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com

PAGE 12
ciates in the business community
gracing the occasion and enjoying
the sumptuous food spread, the
treats, the great ambience and
even grabbing the lucky coins
that were tossed for good luck at
the well-planned and seamlessly
executed inaugural event.
PNB LA also put out the welcome mat for visiting high-ranking officials from the Philippines
among whom was Executive Vice
President Bernie Tocmo and his
party who flew in to grace the
event and inspect the new office.
Cutting the ribbon is Consul
General Adel Cruz of the Philippine
Consulate in Los Angeles with the
assistance of Edith Manalad, First
Vice President/General Manager
of PNB LA. Fr. Percy of the Missionaries of Jesus and the Parish
Priest of St. Kevin Church blessed
the office premises.
Also in attendance is Nelson V.
Javier, President & CEO of PNB Remittance Centers, Inc., a PNB bank
affiliate, which is charged with
overseeing the multiple branches
of the biggest, if not one of the
biggest remittance companies
serving the Filipino community
in the US.

Ribbon Cutting: From L to R: Consul General Adel Cruz of the Philippine Consulate - Los Angeles,
Father Percy of the Missionaries of Jesus and the parish priest of St. Kevin Church, Los Angeles,
Mr. Gerry Palon, President of the Coalition of Filipino American Chambers of Commerce and Edith
Manalad, First Vice President/General Manager of PNB LA.
AJPress photo by Noel Ty

PNB LA aims to serve not only
its existing customer base built
over the years but also the banking
needs of the Filipinos and FilipinoAmericans who transact business
with the Philippine Consulate. The
new office will allow PNB LA to
cater to more clients for bank
services as it will soon accept
over-the-counter remittance transactions.
The transfer to the new location
is also in line with the Bank’s strategic plan to laser focus on its
home loan known as the Own a

Philippine Home Loan (OPHL), a
home financing program available
for all U.S.-based persons who are
interested to invest in real estate
in the Philippines. Turn around
time will be shorter because of its
proximity to the consulate, one
floor up, where loan documents
are submitted for consularization,
which is simply the process of authenticating any legal document.
For further information, call
(213) 026 8227.
Or email pnblagroup@pnb.
com.ph